Inocent Tena
by KaylaDestroyer
Summary: Raz finds something she never thought she'd have. Diego has an adopted daughter. Gutt has a new plan that involves secrets, legends, and a mysterious lullaby. Can Shira save her oldest cub from her old captain's wrath? Will the pirate crew choose the bonds of family over tyranny? And will poor Jae ever figure out his love's complicated past? Dedicated specially to MBSAVfan1!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! So, MBSAVfan1 really liked my last alst actually story about Raz, and so did A.G. Wicked. I was working on another story when I read their reviews, and while I was reading, BAM! This idea hits me! 'Raz's Second Chance' was good, and there were some good elements, but I wanted it to stay a one-shot. I was already planning a multi-chaptered story, as I said before, so since there were some things from 'Raz's Second Chance that I really liked, I decided to not let those ideas die and shifted them over to this story. It has a completely different plot-line except for two things. **

**And I highly suggest reading 'Raz's Second Chance' to understand where I'm coming from. So anyway, to MBSAVfan1 especially, here is the continuation that you wanted so badly, and thanks to you, A.G. Wicked and Capt. Gutt for reviewing my previous Raz stories! Also: Raz points to whoever can tell me first in a review what language the title is in and what it means in English! Just thought I'd add a little sport if anyone is interested.**

**To MBSAVfan1: I am planning to use that baby name you gave me, so you don't have to guess unless you really want to. So to all who read; enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Inocent Tena

Raz smiled as she leaned against a tree and watched her cub siblings tumble around with each other. They were only two months old and had learned to walk recently, and already they were outside the den wrestling with each other. The boys had their own separate match from the girls, the older one presently succeeding in nipping his younger brother's tail. The attacked cub squeaked in surprise, before rounding on his brother and clawing at his face. Of course, any claws he had were dull as of now, and barely did any more damage than annoy his older sibling. The boys were the odd numbers, first and third born. The oldest, Dennis, had inherited his father's fur and hot temper, but also Shira's blue eyes.

The youngest boy, Akuna, was completely orange and had inherited his father's eye color. He was slightly meek, but when agitated his temper flared up like Shira when she was forced to eat eels. The saber, as a pirate, did eat some meat, but she hated fishing and so did her best to get by with fruit. However, sometimes she simply _had_ to have meat. And sometimes, the only meat available was eel. The girls were having at it as well, and Raz felt proud that her little sisters were starting out as strong fighters. The girls were the even numbers; second and fourth born.

Rebel, the oldest girl, was completely black, and had inherited her mother's eyes and love of teasing. Arilla, the youngest of them all, had Shira's pelt, but her father's eyes and the fierceness of both parents. Shira often urged the kangaroo to seek out her own partner for life, but Raz was hesitant, for a reason not even her adoptive mother knew. And her adoptive mother was a secret in the first place. Chuckling, Raz hopped over to her saber brothers and sisters and gently batted them apart. The four balls of fluff smiled at her and began snuggling up against her legs. Raz smiled kindly and bent down to them, patting their heads and rubbing their backs.

After only a minute or so, the cubs pawed at her pouch and began trying to climb up her front. Raz gently wrapped her hands around the tiny body that was Dennis, who sat happily in her grasp, and gently set him in her pouch. He giggled and cooed, smiling up at her with toothless innocence. Next Raz tenderly gripped Rebel and set her in the pouch with Dennis, the two cubs batting at each other. The cubs always got excited at the chance to ride in their oldest sister's pouch, and often tumbled around together in the small space. Next in went Akuna, and lastly Arilla. Raz chuckled as the four bodies soon curled up against each other to sleep.

Then she proceeded to hop towards Diego and Shira's hunting area. The two always ate on the western edge, away from the rest of the herd. Raz hopped steadily through the grassy plain, not wanting to awaken her baggage and suffer their constant movement. The cubs were in no way big enough to jump out by themselves, but all the motion they would make made Raz uneasy. She finally reached the two adult sabers, who waved at her. " Delivery for miss Shira." Raz said as she carefully began emptying her pouch of the cubs and placing them next to their mother.

"Thanks Raz." Shira replied. At that point the cubs yawned and rubbed their eyes, waking to see their mother. All four instanty scrambled over her, happy to see her as any baby would be. Diego began to eat a large portion of the kill, (Raz didn't dare look at it long enough to figure out what it was) but she knew why he was doing so. The cubs were distracted by Shira, (and they still nursed, to Shira's great irritation) so Diego could prepare the cubs' meal. The parents had decided before the litter was born that he would be the one to do the job. Raz had to admit the reason why was fascinating.

Diego had apparently been rescued by a wolf pack as a cub after his entire birth pack had been slaughtered by a human attack, and so the dogs decided to raise him. They had taught him a rather valuable skill. Since the pups had to be fed partially digested flesh, and it was the duty of adolescents to learn the skill in preparation for their own pups to come, the adults taught them how to ingest a certain amount of meat, then regurgitate it for the younger ones with less sharp teeth. Diego got a little bit of movement in playing with the cubs as Shira had her fill, and by the time she was done, Diego presented the cubs' meal. It still made Raz wince to watch it. Then as Shira supervised the children eating, Diego would have his own meal. Once satisfied that the family was well, Raz turned and hopped away to go about her own business.

She enjoyed playing with her younger siblings for Shira, but still needed time to herself.

* * *

Shira licked the cubs as they messily dug into the sicked up meal Diego had provided. She had to admit; Diego's wolf parenting skills certainly made life easier for them. Plus she got a tad more to eat cleaning the cubs' meal off them. But it was no OCD condition that made her do so; the cubs' fluffy fur easily trapped dirt and dust of all kinds besides smudges from their food, and Shira knew that if she didn't keep her babies clean, they were bound to die from one disease or another. As soon as they were finished, the four insisted on rough-housing with each other, so Shira sat back to watch them. She heard a distant rumble, and turned for a moment to see storm clouds approaching from the east. She then turned to Diego, who was licking his paws and muzzle clean.

"Diego." The male looked up at her, the tip of his tongue poking out of his muzzle due to being interrupted midlick. Shira nodded towards the clouds, and Diego turned to them as well. He turned back to Shira and nodded, before snagging Akuna by the scruff and depositing his youngest cub on his back. Then he scooped up Dennis in his mouth and began trotting back to their cave. Shira did the same with Arilla and Rebel. The six sabers arrived inside their den just in time to beat the vicious downpour that the clouds released.

A loud boom of thunder caused all of the cubs to jump. Then a crack of lightning caused them to squeal in terror and sent them running underneath their mother. Shira made her way to the back of the cave, then lay on her right side so that her back faced the entrance. The cubs snuggled themselves in between Shira and the back wall, huddling against her for comfort. "Shhhhh, shhhh." Shira gently shushed their whimpers, licking them fondly and nuzzling them with her nose. The four of them soon began to nurse, hungry as ever, causing Shira to cringe in pain at their needle sharp teeth. Diego lay down and curled himself around her, gently licking her cheek for comfort.

Shira sighed. "I hope they don't keep this up for much longer." she whispered. Diego gently rubbed his muzzle against her neck.

"Don't worry about it. They'll switch over soon enough." A sudden thought struck Shira. She looked at Diego worriedly.

"What about Raz?" she asked. "Do you think she got home safe?"

"I'm sure she did." Diego replied. "Just rest. You only need to worry about the cub's right now."

"That's just it." Shira muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." With that Shira lay her head down and got as comfortable as possible for a nap.

* * *

Raz panted heavily as she hopped through the rain. The wind pushed forcefully against her, and the rain beat on her body painfully. She squinted through the pouring rain, hardly able to see a foot in front of herself. She just kept on hopping forwards, hoping that sooner or later she would reach _something_.

When she did, it wasn't the 'something' she had been hoping for.

All at once the kangaroo found herself slipping and sliding painfully down the rocky incline, tumbling head over heals, bleeding from various wounds, no idea where she would end up. Screams and grunts tore from her mouth as she continued on, until at last she landed face first into water. She quickly got her head to breach the surface, and gasped in between the sloshing ocean and pounding rain. She flailed frantically, never having learned to swim since Manny was the only one to ever sink one of Gutt's ships. Horrifying memories flashed before her eyes, distorting her vision and terrifying her further. "Mum!" she cried out desperately as the past and present morphed together before her eyes. "Mum!"

Her head bobbed in the water, her entirety now drenched to the bone. Tears of fear began to roll down her cheeks. She soon began to tire, and looked around for any means of floatation. Finally, Raz came across a large log, and gripped it tightly, claws digging into the bark. She hauled as much of herself as she could on top of it, and clung to her only hope of living through the storm. "Mum..where are you?" she whispered, before drifting into unconsciousness.

* * *

Raz awoke with a wide yawn, her sleeping form having been jarred by her log ride hitting something. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up to see that she had reached a yellow beach. Carefully, she stood up in the knee deep water and stretched, looking around. She had no idea where she had ended up; ocean currents had a way of taking anyone anywhere. She scanned the horizon, hoping for a faint smudge that would indicate she wasn't far from her island home. Sadly, she saw nothing but water. "_Where am I?_" she wondered.

"Flynn? Gupta?" She searched the surrounding ocean hopefully, but frowned as no one came into sight. It only further proved her wonderings about the rest of the crew still being alive; she missed them on a daily basis, but was loathe to leave the herd to search for them. The reality that she might never see her family again hit her like a tidal wave. Her face became sad and her ears more droopy than normal. "I'll nevah' forget them." she whispered, then turned and hopped up the beach.

She looked around as she hopped over the ground, finding the area strangely familiar. She suddenly spotted a very familiar creature up high in a tree. "A koala?" she murmured, eyes widening. "But, but that means that I'm..." she looked around frantically, suddenly realizing where the ocean had taken her. She turned and hopped speedily back to the beach, staring out at the water, perplexed and afraid. "Why? Why did you bring me back here?" she called out to the waves. "I can'...I can' stay!"

"Why not?" Raz whirled around, reaching a hand into her pouch and retrieving her prized corkscrew-shell spear. She aimed it at the throat of the kangaroo behind her with a glare.

"Who are ya?!" she snapped in a demanding tone. The other kangaroo's blue eyes widened, and they took a hop back. Raz took a hop forwards, keeping the stranger within her grasp. "Are ya' gonna' speak or stand the'ah like a barnacle? Cause if yer' goin' fer' the second option I won't hesitate ta' cut out that tongue of yer's." she threatened.

"Yer' no ordinary sheila." A deep voice replied. Raz tensed; this was a jack, not to mention a good bit taller than her. She inwardly cursed her feminine genes of short height, but kept her ferocious front.

"I won't ask ya' again. What's yer' name?" The jack smirked and chuckled.

"So demanding, so bold. I suppose you know how to use your little 'spear' too?" he asked mockingly. Raz's glare deepened, and her grip tightened. Her teeth ground in rage, but she kept herself in check.

"I know how ta' use a lotta' things that could kill ya' with one blow." she replied. "Now are ya' gonna' tell me yer' name or am I gonna' make a wood carving outta' ya'?" The jack gave a laugh.

"The name's Jae. What's yours?"

"...Raz."

"Ah, Raz. Now there's a fine name. So Raz, why don't I take ya' on a tour of the area? Maybe once ya' see some of the land you'll decide ta' find a mob." He held out one hand, giving her a stare that said no one refused him. She lowered her spear, but didn't approach him.

"I suppose life here's changed a good bit?"

"I don't know when ya' were last 'ere, but I'm sure you'll like anythin' that's new." Raz eyed him. She opened pouch and let her spear drop inside, then let it snap shut, not taking her eyes of Jae. The jack blinked at her, apparently out of shock.

"Alright then. Show me around." Raz agreed. Jae nodded and began hopping inland. Raz hesitantly followed him. Jae showed her vast expanses of grassland, all plentiful of water and food, other mobs having already made home in them. Raz fondly stared at the happy mothers and their joeys, but turned her mind away from such thoughts. Family like that was not for her.

The only place that she had ever felt she truly belonged was with her shipmates. Gutt might have been a little too overbearing...okay, too overbearing in general. But the rest of the crew had always treated her like a sister; and a daughter in one particular case. They were a rough and tumble, gangly group, but never sought to truly hurt each other. That was what Raz liked about them. And they stuck together, except when Gutt's fury had overruled his mind and he had left Shira behind. Presently the two kangaroos stopped hopping, Jae turning to Raz with a smile.

"So?" Raz shrugged.

"It's very nice. Quite similah' to what I remembah', actually. I'm just...no' good with...big groups."

"It could be a small group if that's what you need." Raz blinked at him in confusion. "Just you and I." The female frowned, then smirked.

"Yeh...it's gonna' take a good deal more than that ta' get mah' affections." she replied. "I'll find meself a nice cave, near the watering hole." she said, turning to the direction of the main water source she took a hop, then turned her head back to Jae, and hand on her hip and a mischievous smirk on her face. "Ya' can come visit if ya' like. Thanks again for the tour!" With that she continued on her merry way. She heard Jae murmur behind her, and smiled. Clearly he fell easily for a pretty face, however he didn't know of her pirate-enhanced ways.

"_Nevah' thought I had that pretty of a face though..._" Raz shook this thought off. There were things to do. Things to prepare for.

* * *

**So yeah, I think some people will recognize my idea of Diego being raised by wolves. I thought that idea deserved to live too. ;)**

**Official review thank you's go to:**

**MBSAVfan1**

**Capt. Gutt**

**A.G. Wicked**

**for reviewing my previous Raz stories!**


	2. Chapter 2

Inocent Tena

Raz liked her new cave. It was quite large, had a small stock of mushrooms growing in it, and was a few yards away from the water hole. She felt a disturbance though. It was as if something very important were amiss. She didn't mind Jae coming over everyday for lunch, and talking for an hour or two with her. He had come to respect her highly after learning she was quite skilled with her arsenal of bone weapons. That however was the problem; this boomer was coming onto her property everyday, acting as though it was no problem (which it most certainly was!) and Raz had no quarrel with it.

It scared her in all honesty; having been rejected by her own kind her entire life, shouldn't she be more careful? More afraid of heartbreak? Indeed, she should have. But she wasn't, not in the least bit wary of these strange new feelings creeping upon her. How her heart would beat incredibly fast when she saw Jae approaching the cave. How, beneath her fur, her cheeks would tinge pink and grow warm from every compliment he gave her. And of course she would make some witty yet sweet remark and complement him back.

Butterflies churned in her stomach while her head screamed not to fall for his possible trickeries._That_ was what split her into two halves. _Possible_. It was totally possible that all he wanted out of her was a kiss, and so led her on with blasphemous lies that he expected her to perceive as compliments. And yet, in a less than total way, it was possible that he truly had his sights set on her. That he _did_ pine for her affections. It would be nice for Raz; to have someone, always there, to give her comfort (via words or a gentle touch) whom she could honestly trust.

To have a...partner, as much as she had denied such a suggestion from Shira. But suspicion and good reasoning bit her fantasies and wistfull imaginations in the rear end, reminding her to keep good sense and use her pirate-heightened abilities to protect herself. And so she struggled through every single day, enjoying Jae's seemingly sweet company, but at night her doubtfull side would attack. Her mind would conjure up horrible insults and simple mean words to contradict every kind word that Jae spoke to her. As she painfully sat awake in the darkness, she would look into small pools situated around the cave, and cry. Her salty tears would roll down her cheeks as she would convince herself that her face was ugly, and her golden eyes a malformed shape in contrast to the beauty that Jae would tell her he saw. Her thoughts conflicted greatly with each other.

By day she would think, "_He's such a sweet boomah', surely he speaks the truth._" And by night her opinion would have totally changed, "_Raz you stupid girl! He just wants to gain your trust! He wants to kiss you and then disappear! Don't trust his lies!_" Raz was constantly conflicted within herself, as the weeks passed by and another two months of her life was spent not in the company of her family, but in the Australian Outback. Life in the terrain was strange enough, and everyday Raz longed for the sight of a ship on the horizon and her crew mates or Shira coming ashore to see her (although she knew that half of her wish would never come true). Many days she would go down to the beach in hopes of happening upon her friends.

But she never made any attempt to leave, which only confused her further; what was here that she could possibly want? All she knew of were bad memories. However, it was the end of her third month of living in her own little cave, that the one thing Raz never thought she'd be granted was laid before her in all its glory, for her choice alone of acceptation or rejection.

* * *

Raz sat on the yellow sand of the beach, watching the sun sink into the ocean for the night. Ever since she was a little joey, she had believed that the sun went to sleep at night under the water. She kept her eyes locked on the horizon, hoping just as strongly as ever that the ice ship would appear. Her ears twitched to the sound of kangaroo feet thumping against the sand towards her. "Ya' know...ya' really look like a girl with your ears flopped over each other and behind your head like that."

"And I'm _no' _supposed to look like a girl because?" Raz asked with a blank face. She wasn't in the mood to be talking with _anyone_. Jae gently sat beside her. His voice stuttered; he could tell Raz wasn't in a good mood, but apparently had something he needed to say. The female kangaroo noted this with curiosity.

"Well, I'm just sayin' it's a good style for ya'. It's pretteh."

"Thanks." Raz then heaved a despondent sigh. "Jae, I know ya' don't know very much about the sea or anythin'. Cause I've lived...with yer' presence for tha' past three months. But...I've told ya' a lot about where I've come from. So...do ya' think," Raz paused, gazing out at the red horizon. "Do ya' think..mah' family...or crew will ever, find me?" Jae was silent for a moment, before gently laying his hand over top of Raz's in the warm sand.

"I think they will. It might take a while...but they will." Raz looked over at the jack, unexpectedly warmed by the smile he was giving her. She glanced down at the hand he had laid over hers.

"Is there somethin ya' want ta' say?" she asked quietly with a raised eyebrow. Jae inhaled then exhaled deeply.

"Actually...I came out he'ah ta' ask ya' somethin'."

"And what would that be?" Jae's blue eyes locked with Raz's golden ones, and the female felt her heart give an involuntary flutter. Her hand tensed underneath Jae's, claws digging into the sand mercilessly. The jack sighed.

"Raz...I just wanna' say that I love ya'." Raz felt her blood freeze and her mind shut down. "And...I don't care about yer' moodiness or nothin'. Yer' not that bad fer' a person once yer' talkable." Raz internally shook her head.

"_No...no...he's no' really gonna' say it...he's lyin'...he's gotta' be!_"

"And...I want ya' to be _my _sheila. My jill." Raz's breathing became ragged and her stomach knotted in fear. All her nights of crying and fear clouded her mind; her unnatural, involuntary tears spilling from distrust, completely unknown to Jae. "So ya' won't cry so much aneh'more." Oh. Scratch that.

"Raz...I want ya' ta' be mah' mate, honest to goodness." Raz swallowed thickly and pulled her hand away from Jae's with lightning speed, turning away from him. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly chilled.

"Why?"

"Cause I love ya'."

"Why?"

"Cause yer' funny. And brave. You can use weapons. And yer' the prettiest sheila this side of the black stump. Beyond the stump." Jae finished in a whisper. Raz reached back and gripped her ears, tugging the tips around to her chest and holding them tightly, disbelief and shock filling her. Although she wasn't sure yet if it was good or bad shock. "Raz I'm not bein' tricky."

"How do I tell?" Raz asked, her voice wavering slightly. "How do I know yer' bein' honest?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Cause ya' just want ta' dump me off somewhere and nevah' come back. Like mah' parents." Silence stretched between the two for a while. A hand gently stroked one of Raz's quivering ears. "I promise, Raz. I promise, I won't leave ya' anywhe'ah, for aneh' reason." The female turned to look up at Jae, her eyes scrutinizing yet moist.

"Ya' promise." she whispered.

"I promise." Jae held a hand out to her. Raz stared at it for a long moment. It was the only thing she could see clearly through the now dark beach and the mistiness in her eyes. She stood and faced him, staring at his outstretched hand. Tentatively, she brought her own hand closer to it, and pressed her palm against his. Jae's fingers slowly interlocked with hers.

Raz couldn't help but appreciate the warmth his large hand gave hers. "Yes." she said quietly, looking up at him. "I...I'll be yer' sheila."

"Ya' really want to?"

"Yeah...I do. I'm just...nervous, I guess. I've nevah'...trusted anotha' kangaroo befo'. Mah' parents just...planted distrust in me." Jae turned to Raz, and tilted her face up to his.

"Well ya' know what?"

"What?"

"It's their loss." Raz smiled. Jae wrapped an arm around her in a gentle hug, and Raz hugged him back. "Let's go home." the gentle voice whispered in Raz's drowsy ear.

"'Kay." she replied. She and Jae slowly hopped their way through the night to the cave. Raz leaned against her new jack, an unfamiliar feeling welling up in her chest at the warmth she felt when Jae wrapped an arm around her. Warmth that she could call her own; warmth that belonged to her now. No one could claim it but her. She could sense affection through the warmth, which was only amplified by Jae's gentle touch of stroking her ears. Was this, this feeling inside her, love?

The love she felt for Jae? Was she also feeling his love for her? The emotion was strong, stronger than anything Raz had felt before. She let a small smile slip onto her drowsy face as she felt as though she were falling through a deep chasm.


	3. Chapter 3

Inocent Tena

Raz smiled softly in her sleep. It was so much warmer with Jae by her side at night. She told herself this everyday since agreeing to being his sheila. She rather liked sharing her life with someone else; she and Jae traveled often, as neither liked staying in one place for very long. Raz was fascinated at how large her home continent really was. She had only spent a few short months with her parents in a small coastal area, which of course accounted for her good fortune of having been found by Shira. The kangaroo's dreams were pleasant, until an old memory unleashed itself suddenly and painfully on her mind.

* * *

_Raz smiled up at her mother from inside the pouch, snuggling into the adult's fur. "Momma?" she asked as they hopped along._

_"Yes li'le one?" Raz's mother's voice was soft and gentle._

_"Where are we goin'?"_

_"Ta find somethin' ta' eat. We'll be there soon."_

_"Okay." A horrible, unfamiliar sound suddenly pounded in little Raz's ears, and she gave a gasp. Raz dove into the pouch fearfully, whimpering. Her mother suddenly changed direction and began hopping very fast. The sound of pursuing feet made Raz's heart beat faster and faster, until she suddenly found herself flying through the air with a scream._

* * *

Raz awoke suddenly with a gasp, jerking up into a sitting position. She sat, panting heavily for a good minute or so before Jae sat up sleepily and looked at her. "Raz?" he whispered.

"It...it's nothin' Jae. Go back to sleep." the female replied.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." With that Jae shrugged and lay back down. Raz sat awake, and pulled her knees up close to her chest, shivering fearfully. Where had that nightmare sprung up from? It seemed like a...terrible memory of some sort. She sighed shakily and lay back down, intending to sleep the rest of the night with no further nightmares.

* * *

Squint sat at the prow of the ship, dangling his long rabbit feet over the edge. He sighed; who couldn't miss her? She had brought moral order to their lives, had supplied them with a stockpile of weapons, and gave them a reason to reveal their affectionate side. Shira had always been 'one of the guys', of course the rest of the crew still treated her with respect. But Raz...Raz was different. She had come to them as a helpless baby, had required their restraint and affection, had impacted them. But now she was gone.

Gutt, when they had recovered him from a siren attack a few months ago, had reported her dead. These news hit the crew with a harder blow than they expected. Kangaroos only lived six years, it wasn't like her time on board would last forever. Still, she had only had her ceremony a few months before that stupid whale killed her. That wasn't long enough to enjoy adulthood. The tiny rabbit gave another sigh, before the flapping of wings reached his sensitive ears. Silas landed next to him quietly, not speaking a word for a while.

The two shipmates stared at the ocean for a time. " It's alright Squint." the bird said after a while. "We all miss our mademoiselles." Squint waited a moment before replying.

"I know...I just...it's not fair."

"Explain."

"Well...think about it Silas. It was only a month or two before we met that mammoth that we had her ceremony." Silas nodded.

"Oui. She was not a woman for very long. But she did enjoy her short time with us." He smiled and wrapped a wing around Squint. "She's in an even better place now. We'll see her again someday." Squint gave a small smile.

"I know. I just miss her...here."

* * *

Shira sighed heavily as she watched her six month old cubs run around with each other. They spoke a good bit, but not properly yet. They all shared the same first word. A word that brought a smile of elation to Shira's face and tears of remorse to her eyes. Her eldest, Dennis, toddled up to her, abandoning his wrestling match with Akuna. Shira smiled softly and nuzzled him. "What is it sweetheart?" she whispered.

"Mama...when do we see Raz again?" Shira clamped her mouth firmly shut for a moment to prevent any sobs. She sighed, then smiled back at Dennis.

"I don't quite know yet...hopefully soon." She gave him an affectionate lick. "Go play with your brother, don't worry about it." Dennis smiled and wagged his tail, before turning and running back to Akuna. Shira frowned and laid her head on her paws sadly. It wasn't long after that Diego came, greeting his mate with an affectionate lick over top her head. He lay down beside her to watch the cubs.

"So...you feelin' okay Kitty?" Shira growled and swiped at Diego's ear.

"I told you not to call me that." Diego smirked for a moment and shrugged, before his face became serious once more.

"Seriously Shira. I know something's wrong. It's Raz, isn't it?" Shira winced.

"Diego I just...can't shake the feeling that she's in danger." Diego lay his neck over top hers.

"I'm sure she's fine Shira."

"...But..what if she's dead? She fell off a cliff and into the ocean during a thunderstorm! She's not a good swimmer, she could have drowned!"

"Shh, Shira the cubs will hear you! Look, I'm sure she's fine, but we can't look for her right now." Shira moaned.

"Diego...you don't understand."

"What?" Shira sighed.

"Are you...okay with, having an adopted kid?"

"Um, yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"Because...I kind of...took Raz in as my own a few years ago." Diego leaned back slightly and stared at her, eyes wide with shock.

"Wha...how-?" Shira turned away.

"I don't wanna' talk about it." She felt Diego sidle up next to her and gently nudge her cheek.

"That's why you worry about her so much. Why you begged Manny to let her stay..."

* * *

_Shira's eyes tripled in size as Manny hauled a weak and spluttering kangaroo onto dry land. She quickly made her way over and nudged her old shipmate gently with her nose. Raz coughed and turned to her. "Sheila?" she croaked._

_"Raz..." Manny wrapped his trunk firmly around the kangaroo's middle. He glared icily at her._

_"Now what should we do with you?" he asked. Raz gulped._

_"Throw her back where she came from." Diego replied with a disgusted wrinkle on his face. Shira looked between the two fearfully._

_"I...I'll be a...a good sheila, I promise." Raz whimpered, shivering from the cold. Manny snorted._

_"Like we're going to believe you." he snapped. Raz cowered and glanced over at Shira with pleading eyes. "You came from the water, and to it you shall return." he continued, preparing to throw her back into the ocean._

_"Wait!" Everyone turned to Shira. The female saber swallowed thickly. "Raz is my crew mate...my friend. She'll listen to me. I can keep her in check." she reasoned. Manny eyed the shivering kangaroo, before sighing and setting her next to Shira._

_"Fine, but she had better behave herself. You're in charge of her." Shira nodded and lay a comforting paw on Raz's shoulder. Diego gave the kangaroo a stare of contempt, before huffing and walking off. The rest of the herd dispersed._

* * *

Diego nuzzled Shira again. "Shira, I'm sorry. If I had known who she was to you, I would never have said that." Shira sighed and slipped her neck underneath Diego's chin.

"It's fine Diego. It's just...she's always been my cub. And she always will be."

* * *

Squint was drawing Raz on the side of the ship with his bone knife forlornly, when the captain suddenly dropped down behind him. "Mr. Squint!" The rabbit jumped up and spun around, saluting the ape.

"Aye sir?" he asked nervously. Gutt grinned with an evil glint in his eye.

"We are about to dock on a rather isolated continent. I want you to scout around as far as you can before nightfall."

"Aye sir! I'm to report my findings?"

"Aye." As the rabbit scouted the continent out that afternoon, he came upon the most shocking sight. As he hid in a small bush, he watched Raz hug a kangaroo jack, who hugged her back and stroked her ears affectionately. He could tell they were talking, but didn't pay attention to what was being said. The shock of merely knowing Raz was alive and perfectly well pumped adrenaline through his veins like no fight had ever done before. Yet he was worried; was this jack her mate? Raz was suddenly pulled up into a kiss by her counterpart.

"_Oh yeah. Raz would _never _do that with some boyfriend._" he thought dryly. "_I've gotta' get this to Gutt_!" With that Squint sped off back to the ship.

* * *

Raz felt her heart pound tremendously. When Jae finally, gently, pulled back from the kiss, she lowered her head with an embarrassed smile. "Somethin' wrong?" She looked up at Jae.

"No, nothin's wrong. I just...I've never kissed anyone else before."

"Well then that makes it all the more special." Raz chuckled.

"Jae? You know my, adoptive mother I told you about?" The jack nodded. "Well...I just, realized how much I miss her today. Do you think...we could try to sail back to her?" Jae's eyes widened in excitement.

"Now _that_ would be an adventure." he replied. Raz smiled. "However, I think it's getting a tad late for that." Raz nodded and playfully punched him on the arm.

"Course it is ya' big lug." she replied. Jae rubbed his arm for a moment, then took her hand in his.

"Come on, let's go home. We can start working on this tomorrow." Raz nodded and the two hopped towards their current den.

* * *

Squint raced as fast as he could up to the ship, panting heavily. "Captain!" he called. "Captain!" The ape turned to him as he rushed up the gangplank. Squint barely managed to skid to a halt in front of Gutt, saluting him and gasping for breath. "Sir, I have great news!"

"Oh? And what would that be?" By now the entire crew had gathered around them.

"Raz is alive!"

* * *

**So, that's the first three chapters! I think this one made up for the lack of line breaks in chapter 2. XD What do ya'll think so far? I hope ya' like it! And don't worry, the adventure will be starting up soon! Till then, review and urge me to update!**


	4. Chapter 4

Inocent Tena

Squint ran through the grassland like he had never run before. The only thing that could excite him more than the fact that Raz was alive, was the chance to actually _talk_ to her again. He wasn't even panting as he approached the den that the kangaroo's tracks led to. It was at this moment that Raz herself hopped sleepily out of the opening, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Squint's smile widened. "Finally!" he muttered.

* * *

Raz's ear twitched from a far off sound, and she looked around blearily. As the sound became clearer, in fact, it almost sounded as if...as if someone were calling her name. "raaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAZ!" The kangaroo was suddenly smacked into by a small furry body, propelled by a great force. She was pushed back into the cave and toppled over onto her back by the creature who was hugging her so fiercely. It had two arms wrapped around her neck, and its hind legs wrapped around her chest. Raz grunted and sat up dizzily.

"What on earth?"

"You're alive!" Raz's eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the rabbit hugging her. Could it possibly be...

"Squint?" Her friend looked up at her.

"I thought you were dead!" Raz smiled and laughed.

"Ditto!" She wrapped her arms around the tiny rabbit that was squeezing her so tightly. He was _alive_! Did that mean the rest of the crew was too? Would she finally get to see her whole crew again? "Oh Squint, I've missed ya' so much!" she exclaimed happily. The rabbit had always been like a brother to her, playing with her when she was a child, and teaching her how to wield certain weapons.

"I missed you too." the rabbit replied quietly.

"Raz?" The kangaroo turned to see Jae sitting up and staring at her confusedly. She stood and hopped back over to him, grinning.

"Jae, there's someone I want ya' ta' meet." she said. The jack blinked at Squint and tilted his head. Raz gently peeled the rabbit off herself and cradled him in her hands. "Squint, this is my jack, Jae. Jae, this is my 'brother', Squint." The two males eyed each other for a moment, before Squint whipped out his knife and gently pressed the tip against Jae's nose.

"That's right, her big brother! I've been taking care of her since she was a tenth of yer' size! So be good to her!" Jae leaned back slightly, shifting a questioning gaze to Raz. The female pulled Squint back into her grasp.

"Oh fer' goodness sakes Squint, he's not gonna' hurt me! He can't even use a knife properly."

"I'm learning!" Jae added indignantly. Raz chuckled.

"Yeah, day by day." she agreed. She looked back down at Squint, smirking and tickling underneath his chin in that way that always made him giggle uncontrollably and beg for her to stop, lest his 'tough guy' reputation be destroyed. Of course, everyone really viewed him as more of a 'crazy hermit'. "So _big brother_, whatchya' been up to?" Squint squirmed in her grasp, giggling in his irresistibly cute way, trying to escape in vain. Raz kept one hand firmly but gently wrapped around his torso, and chuckled delightedly.

"Stop it Raz, come on!" Squint finally succeeded in breaking free and dove inside her pouch. Raz crossed her arms and smirked at him.

"Now how do ya' expect ta' escape me in there?" she laughed. Squint popped his head out, grinning up at her.

"Cause you're afraid of cutting yourself."

"True." Raz conceded.

"In answer to your question, just moping around on the ship mostly." Raz raised an eyebrow.

"And what would you be mopin' around for? Where would you even find the time to do so?" Squint frowned sadly.

"Well, we thought...we thought we'd lost you." Raz gave a start.

"_What?_" The rabbit's earlier comment started to sink in.

"Yes indeed, _what_?" Jae added, coming over to sit beside Raz and stare down at Squint. The rabbit seemed to shrink forlornly into the kangaroo's pouch. It had to be the calmest Raz had ever seen him.

"We rescued Gutt from a siren attack a few hours after that whale blasted us all away. We had to all hang onto each other as Flynn somehow managed to swim us back to Origin Island. We hadn't found you anywhere, but Gutt claimed you dead." Raz was silent.

"_He claimed me _dead_?_" she thought. "But...why? What would make him think I was dead?" Squint shrugged.

"We couldn't spot you _anywhere_. We even broke off from Flynn routinely and searched for you, but you were nowhere to be found." Raz glanced away, shocked.

"And here I thought _you_ all were dead." she replied quietly. Squint hopped out of her pouch, landed on one hand, then flipped and landed on his feet, facing her. He indignantly placed his paws on his hips and smirked up at her.

"_Us? Dead?_" he asked. "You oughtta' know us better than _that_, Raz." The kangaroo smiled. "So, what have _you_ been up to?" Squint asked, nodding his head towards Jae. Raz chuckled as the boomer blushed.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story." Squint shrugged and waved his hand through the air.

"I don't like long stories. Just give me an overview." Raz chuckled.

"Well...you remembah' my adoptive mum?" she asked, giving Squint a look. The rabbit's ears instantly popped up in agitation.

"You mean that traitorous sa-" Squint let out in one rush.

"Yes _her_." Raz interjected, glaring at him pointedly. "Don't speak in such a rush Squint, I remembah' how good a mothah' she was." Squint's ears drooped confusedly, and Raz nodded toward Jae. Realization dawned in Squint's eyes. He smiled nervously.

"Heh, sorry, right. Yes I remember Shira. What about her?"

"Well...after we were separated - you remembah' that landslide, don't ya'? - Shira's friend Manny managed ta' pull me outta' harm's way and I stayed with her for a couple months." Squint's eye twitched.

"Heh, how nice of her friend to do that."

"So...after a couple months of staying with her, this really bad thunda' storm came along, and I ended up goin' off the edge of a cliff." Squint's widened and he jumped forwards, pressing his hind paws against her chest to balance himself and grasping her face in his hands.

"You fell off a cliff?!" he shrieked. Raz frowned and pulled him off herself.

"Yes. I fell in the ocean, ended up driftin' here, met Jae, fell in love, we became an item, end of story." she finished quickly, before setting Squint down. The rabbit eyed Jae.

"And exactly how long did you know him?"

"Three months. It's been a month since he asked me." Squint nodded, then crossed his arms.

"Sounds safe enough." Raz rolled her eyes.

"So Squint; I don't suppose ya' came he'ah with a goal destination in mind?" The rabbit smiled widely.

"Gutt wanted me to bring ya' back to the ship. Just a little visit, I suppose." Raz instantly felt uneasy.

"Gutt? Who's Gutt? And what's this about a ship?" Jae asked. Raz sighed.

"You didn't tell him?"

"No, I thought...I thought you all were gone and it didn't matter anehmore! It was in the past and I wanted it to stay there!"

"Raz what are ya' talkin' about?" The jill sighed and turned away.

"Jay...there's somethin' I think maybe I should have told you a long time ago."

"Like how long?"

"Like...the day we _met_. Maybe the day after."

"Well, what is it?"

"I..." Raz glanced at Squint, who gestured for her to continue. She turned slightly back to her mate. "I'm a former...well after recent discoveries I could still _be _a...a pirate."


	5. Chapter 5

Inocent Tena

Jae blinked at Raz silently. "W..what? You're a what?" Raz sighed and gulped, facing Jae completely.

"I've lived just about my entiah' life as, a pirate." Silence stretched between the cave's three occupants. Jae the he giggled. Soon it became roarous laughter, causing Raz and Squint to frown and cross their arms indignantly. Jae finally ceased guffawing with a gasp.

"Oh Raz, that's a mighteh' good one! Oh! A kangaroo and a rabbit living out at sea as pirates! Where did ya' _evah' _come up with that one?"

"It's not a _joke_, Jae! This is serious!"

"But, but it's not even possible, Raz! You're a _kangaroo_; we live out in wide open plains, not on ships in the middle of the ocean! Besides, even with a knife like _that_, how does a _rabbit_ survive that life?" Squint's ears stood erect once more, and he expertly spun his knife with his hands, pointing it at Jae.

"That's it mister! You've lost your liver privileges!" he shouted. He launched himself with a yell at the jack, only to be grasped by Raz and pulled back into her pouch. He squirmed around fruitlessly, Raz doing her best to keep him in her grasp. She smiled at Jae sheepishly.

"Heh, well I guess that answers _that_ question!" Jae only stared at her pouch with wide eyes. She suddenly grimaced and glared downwards.

"You bettah' not scratch me up, Squint!"

"Let me outta' here!"

"Only if ya' promise not to hurt Jae."

"But Raz-!"

"No buts, he's _family_ now." All squirming ceased in the pouch, and there was a sigh.

"Fine." Raz lifted the rabbit out and set him on the ground, next to herself.

"Now, I want the two of ya' ta' get along." Squint crossed his arms and looked away from Jae, only to receive a nudge from Raz. Sighing, he walked over to the jack and held out his hand. Tentatively, Jae reached out, and the two shook. "Good. Now, Squint," Raz began, standing up. "Lead us to the ship. Squint smiled and saluted at her.

"With pleasure!"

* * *

Raz smiled as the trio approached the ice ship, happy memories dancing in her mind. Flynn was the first to greet her, making his way clumsily across the ground and squashing any small animals unfortunate enough to be in his path. Jae stopped hopping as soon as he realized how big Flynn was, shooting Raz a nervous glance. "Raz!" the elephant sea lion called out, wrapping his flippers around her in a bone crushing hug. Raz gagged for a moment. "Oh Raz I missed ya' so much!"

"Yeah, uh, I missed ya' too Flynn. But it's...getting hard too..._breath_!" Flynn instantly released her.

"Oh, right, sorry!" Raz rubbed her throat for a moment, then smiled at the elephant seal.

"Ah, one of our mademoiselles has returned!" Raz chuckled at the bird who had perched himself on her head.

"Hey Silas, good ta' see ya' too."

"Raz!" The kangaroo looked to see, high up on the mast, Gupta was waving at her. Raz chuckled and waved back. Jae stuck close to her side, nervously eyeing her ship mates.

"Who's this?" Flynn asked, turning to Jae. The jack gulped.

"Guys, this is Jae. He's mah' mate."

"Oooh!" Flynn said excitedly, clapping his flippers. "Goodie, new membah'!" he exclaimed.

"Uh, well-"

"Come, ze capitan is waiting!" Silas urged, lifting off Raz's head and flapping towards the large iceberg. Jae glanced at Raz nervously. She smiled and took his hand in her, Flynn enthusiastically leading them to the beach.

* * *

**So yeah, just cutting it off there, for some reason. Hope you guys liked this chapter! Don't worry, I'll make things a little more actiony in the next chapter. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, so if there's any confusion, I just edited the first three chapters; and since they're very small alterations and I would hate for you readers to have to read all three over again, let me just give you the basics so that chapters 4, 5, and this one make sense.**

1. Raz did not find Squint's knife in the first chapter. But she was very sad and resolved to never forget her pirate crew, since they were all like family to her.

2. Raz never actually told Jae about her priate past, so I changed it so that it wasn't mentioned in chapter 2. Instead Jae claimed he didn't care about her moodiness and enjoyed her talkative moods. ;)

3. Shira's cubs are six months old, not five. You'll understand why after reading this chapter. Plus in chappie three I added a little bit of Diego dialogue talking about how Shira had begged Manny to let Raz stay, so that the next scene was really a memory. Sorry, it got edited out somehow so I just put it back in. In fact I think I'll go back and italicize that whole scene. But don't worry about it; I'm just making it easier to read. ;)

Plus there's a video on Youtube of the song I used in this chapter. It's called 'Newgrange' by the Celtic Women. I seriously don't trust the lyrics I found for it as far as the chorus is concerned, it sounds totally different to me. So I greatly encourage listenign to the song while you read. Whew...that was a lot. I almost took up a whole page with this intro! But hey, that's more length right? I like length. And I am trying to figure out where to put some action in it...I just have trouble because certain things pop out to me as I go, and it changes.

So, I hope you all enjoy this chappie! I'm typing it as fast as possible to avoid confusion about the minor changes if the site puts it at the top of the archive list. Now go read!

* * *

****

Inocent Tena

Raz felt relieved to see Gutt smiling down at her from the mast, almost as though he truly had missed her, but was covering it up. She could see the happiness dancing in the ape's eyes all the same, and a strange look of...triumph? She shrugged inwardly. Sometimes she never understood Gutt. Jae seemed to be looking around nervously, afraid one of the crew would randomly lash out at him in their brash excitement; she had to admit, it was rather funny to see Squint doing some sort of victory breakdance on the slippery deck out of joy to see her again. But she just discreetly took his hand in hers and whispered, "Squint's tha' only one ya' really need ta; worry about." then winked at him. Jae smiled back nervously.

"So, Raz." Gutt called out, swinging down and landing roughly on the deck. "I see you've got yer'self a boy." he teased. Raz chuckled.

"Indeed Cap'n." she agreed, glancing at Jae. The jack was staring at Gutt's looming form like a joey at a hungry dingo. "This is Jae. Jae," she said, turning to her mate. "this is Captain Gutt. He took care of this crew during my time as a pirate." Jae's frazzled look didn't falter, but he offered Gutt a small wave.

"Hello." he squeaked. Gutt gave a roaring laugh, copied by the rest of the crew. Raz chuckled and turned Jae's face to hers with a smirk, using only one finger.

"Come on Jae; laugh a little." she encouraged. "Were all friends." Jae gave a small smile and chuckled.

"Got him wrapped around yer' pinky already?" Squint asked, sticking the point of his knife into the ship and leaning on the hilt. Jae blushed deeply. Raz chuckled and released the jack.

"Now, all formalities aside," Gutt began, catching everyone's attention. "Raz, we were all wondering," he indicated the crew by extending his arms with a smirk. "if you would be up to another round with us." Raz felt her heart soar, remembering her plans of visiting Shira. She glanced at Jae, who appeared to have paled the moment he heard Gutt's request. She chuckled.

"Let me make sure Jae won't faint first." she replied. She turned to the jack.

"Jae?" No answer. "Jae? Hello?" Still no answer. Raz sighed and rolled her eyes, taking a hop back from him. She then slapped him across the face, emitting a loud, "JAE! HONEY!" The jack blinked, shook his head, then looked at Raz.

"You said somethin'?" Raz smirked and chuckled.

"Jae, I think this is our ticket ta' seein' my adoptive mum again." she said quietly. Jae glanced at the pirates for a moment.

"Are ya' sure Raz?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well...I know it's only been a few months, but, what if they're not the animals ya' used ta' know?"

"That's probably a good thing. The whole crew used ta' be bent on exactin' revenge on this mammoth and his family." Jae's eyes widened. "Come on Jae, just give 'em a chance. I'm sure they've changed!" Raz begged. Jae sighed and made a move she knew would defeat him. He looked into her eyes.

Raz gave him a small, pleading smile, looking up at him with her head bowed. He could never say 'no' to that face. Just as she predicted, the jack gave in almost immediately. "Well..I guess one chance wouldn't hurt." Raz smirked and gently nudged his cheek with her nose affectionately, causing a dreamy smile to flit across the jack's face for a moment. They turned back to the pirates.

"I think I'm up for one last round. Jae might even learn a thing or two." Raz replied. The crew gave an excited cheer, except for Gutt, who simply smiled calmly. "So what is it, Cap'n? A lootin'? A sea battle?"

"Even better." Gutt replied. "We me harties be goin' on a bounty hunt."

* * *

Shira smiled as her cubs curled up next to her, finally weaned from her milk. She was once again against the back wall of their cave, only this time the outside world was occupied by calm, cool night. Diego had curled himself around her back, laying his head on her neck, already fast asleep. However, the cubs were still shifting around and whispering amongst each other. Shira bent her head down and licked them, before softly launching into a tune that she knew would soothe them. "There is a place in the east...mysterious ring, magical ring of stones." Her gentle voice instantly put to rest any other murmurs.

"The Druids lived there once it's said...forgotten is the race that no one knows." At last all movement stopped, but Shira knew better. "Rum de rum ' rud a derimo, rum de rum 'rud a derimo." she sang softly. "Rum de rum 'rud a derimo, rum de rum 'rud a derimo. The circled tomb of a different age, secret lines carved on ancient stones." Shira allowed her eyes to close as she remembered a time when she used to sing this song to a small joey curled between her paws. "Heroic kings laid down to rest, forgotten is the race that no one knows."

"Rum de rum 'rud a derimo, rum de rum 'rud a derimo. Rum de rum 'rud a derimo, rum de rum 'rud a derimo." Shira smiled softly at the memory of Raz sucking her thumb as she slept, ears twitching unconsciously from the song, her tail tucked up against her curled body. "Wait for the sun on a winter's day, and a beam of light shines across the floor. Mysterious ring, a magical ring. Forgotten is the race that no one knows. Rum de rum 'rud a derimo, rum de rum 'rud a derimo. Rum de rum 'rud a derimo, rum de rum 'rud a derimo."

Shira suddenly felt her heart lurch as she realized just how much she missed Raz. She sighed as the cubs finally nodded off, beginning to sob softly for her daughter.

* * *

Raz smiled as she slept, eager for a short return to her adrenaline filled pirating days. She was glad that she had somehow managed to hang on to her weapons, knowing they would serve her just as well as before. Gutt's new ship, (which she had been told he claimed back at Origin Island) was much bigger than the old one, and even had a lower deck carved out as living quarters and a supplies room. This she figured was Gutt's lesson learned from the incident with Manny. She and Jae had a room to themselves, Raz currently clasped with one of his arms. Suddenly, however, she felt a pain in her stomach. She moaned and jerked awake, baffled as to what it could be.

She hadn't eaten anything that could possibly agitate it, so what was wrong? As the pain increased, Raz was suddenly compelled to empty her pouch. At first the thought frightened her; her weapons were one of the two things in the world that made her feel secure. Another wave of pain came, and Raz couldn't help but obey her strange instinct. She quickly began digging out the weapons, placing them beside Jae. He could use them if so needed, she was sure. She simply stood there, leaning against the wall, staring at Jae and breathing heavily but quietly.

As another wave came, she began hopping out of the room, suddenly yearning to be sequestered from the entire ship's occupants. She found and empty storage room, filled with, strangely enough, hay. It comforted her though; hay was one of her favorite things to eat. Finding a pile of a size that satisfied her, she lay down in it and shivered with a groan as another wave of pain hit her. "What is happening to me?" she whispered, terrified.

* * *

Squint's ears twitched as he slept, although it only took a moment to wake him up. He sprang up to his feet as soon as he registered the sound of large claws scraping on the ice ship floor. Cautiously tiptoeing to the doorway of his room, he peeked out to see Raz hopping down the hallway rather quickly. Curious, he watched as she made her way into one of the storage rooms. He tilted his head and tiptoed after once she had disappeared, wondering why she wanted to be alone. Call him nosy, but he considered himself the eight foot kangaroo's big brother, and her his baby sister. It wouldn't hurt to check and make sure she wasn't in pain, right?

However, as he neared the storage room, he heard a groan of pain from a voice he could never forget. His energetic and secretly compassionate self morphed and he barely held his feet still as he peeked around the wall to see Raz laying on a pile of hay, shivering in what he could only assume as pain. She muttered something, and he began taking slow steps towards her, ears catching her frightened tone. "Raz?" he whispered. The kangaroo jerked in surprise and turned her head. Once recognizing him, she turned back with a groan, shuddering. Squint increased his pace until he stood behind her panting, shivering form, laying a gentle hand on her head.

"Raz what's wrong?" he asked softly, worry creeping into his voice. Raz gasped, and pressed her hand to her pouch.

"I don't know." she whimpered, on the verge of tears. Squint stroked her ears and looked around, observing the hay piles. He then sprinted over to one in particular, and began taking armfuls off it and piling them up in front of the entrance, not wanting anyone else to disturb Raz. Once managing to block in halfway, he returned to the kangaroo and stroked her ears once more, shushing her gently, for she was now releasing quiet, shaky sobs. "Squint...what's goin' on?" she asked. The rabbit frowned sadly, at a loss as much as she was.

"I don't know Raz, just breathe and try to relax." Squint encouraged. "I'm sure you'll be fine." He sat there and did whatever he could to comfort her as she sobbed almost silently, shaking as though she were stuck in a winter wonderland. After a good hour and a half, Raz groaned again, as though straining herself.

* * *

Raz was in pain; terrible pain that she had never experienced before. Not to mention terrified. Squint offered her a surprisingly great deal of comfort, but she was frightened by their lack of knowledge as to what was happening to her. As another wave of pain hit her, she felt the urge to strain her muscles into pushing on something. Thinking it might ease her pain, she didn't fight her instincts this time and did as they commanded. After a few minutes of pushing periodically, she felt a horrible pain, worse than thus far, and let out a cry, startling Squint. The rabbit instantly laid a paw on her cheek and did his best to squeeze the other beneath her head comfortingly.

"What's wrong?!" he asked frantically. Raz panted for a moment, then realized that the pain was completely...gone.

"It's...over." she thought. In the future, she would realize how wrong such a statement was, but the lack of pain made her fears dissipate. She sighed thankfully, and turned her head to Squint with a smile. "The pain...it's gone." she panted. Squint smiled at her.

"Whew, I was getting worried somethin' was seriously wrong with ya'." he replied quietly. Raz chuckled, then became acutely aware of something tugging on her pouch fur. She looked down at herself quizzically, then her eyes widened upon spotting a small red spot making its way through her fur. "Crikey..." she breathed. "Please tell me what I'm thinkin' didn't just happen." Squint leaned over and shifted his gaze to where she was looking.

"What are ya' talkin' about?" he asked, before he went silent as well. Silence reigned over the pair, until Raz felt something wiggle itself into her pouch, her eyes having been shut tightly so as to block out this dream, if that was what it really was. At that point she looked back at Squint, and he looked at her. Their eyes locked. "Raz," Squint said quietly, drawing it out slowly, as though trying not to scare her. The sheila was terrified all the same. "I think...you just became a mum."

* * *

****

Bum bum bum! Bet you all weren't expecting that this early in the story! Why didn't Raz know? Surely she isn't that clueless of a kangaroo! Well...she's NOT! You will find out in the next chapter! By the way, I don't know when it will show, but I just got a new cover up for this story, and the first 'I' is cut off, sadly. I couldn't fit it. So...PLEASE REVIEW! I WANT TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey people! I hope you all liked the last chapter, cause there's more madness here! Yeah, not much to say...so go read and enjoy it!**

* * *

Inocent Tena

Raz began to shake once more, only this time out of shock. She couldn't be a...a mother. Not now, not ever! It was impossible! This didn't make any sense! She wearily sat up and leaned against the ice wall, Squint sitting beside her and placing his hand comfortingly over hers. "I'm a...mum?" she asked timidly to the thin air.

"Yes." Squint replied. Raz looked down at him; he was so calm...how was he so calm? She had never seen him do a single thing without endless enthusiasm, except for when he had met Jae. It was strange, but it made her calm too. If_ Squint_wasn't freaking out in a situation that definitely deserved it, then she wouldn't either.

"I don't undah'stand." she whispered.

"Well...uh...I was pretty sure Shira would've explained it all to ya' when you were younger but-" Raz shook her head.

"No no, not that! I just...I didn't even know!" Squint's eyes widened.

"You didn't_ know_? How could you not?! Don't you females read the signs better?" Raz swallowed thickly, and Squint instantly settled down.

"Oh, I saw tha' signs alright." she replied. "But I didn't believe 'em...there was one very important one missin'."

"Missing?" Raz nodded, then sighed.

"It just, it's not physically possible with me! Mah' whole life I nevah' had mah' monthly, and now, just cause I find myself a mate..." she trailed off. Squint stared at her questioningly.

"What do ya' mean your_ whole life_?" he asked slowly. Raz sighed. She just couldn't accept the fact that this was happening. She gently pressed a hand to her pouch; she remembered that she was in pain, but not the pain itself. No mother did. But...how was this possible? How was this happening? It was somehow; she could already feel the little joey sucking hungrily on her. "Raz?"

"When I first came to tha' crew, tha' only punishment Gutt would evah' use with me was a hit to the stomach. Everyday...whenever I did something wrong, I knew I would get a blow ta' tha' gutt. I didn't undah'stand back then...but when I was older, and he had stopped, I couldn't help but wonder. He threatened me...if I told anyone else what he had done, especially _why_, he would just hurt me even more." Raz stopped and bit her lip, still afraid of sharing such secrets.

"Why did he do it?" Squint asked quietly, plainly. Raz looked back at him.

"We kangaroos...we're big creatures...we need a lot of space. Just one takes up a good amount of area. So...Gutt didn't want me fallin' in love and...takin' up more area." Squint's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute; you mean he beat you up, so you wouldn't have kids?" he growled. Raz blinked in surprise at him.

"Um, that's a good way of summin' it up..." Squint's ears stood erect, and Raz managed to grab him before he could sprint off. He squirmed fruitlessly in her grasp.

"Let me at him! Lemme' at 'im!" he demanded.

"Squint, shut it!" Raz snapped. "_No one_else can know about this!" she hissed. Squint stopped wriggling and looked back at her, hanging by his ears.

"Not even Jae?" Raz considered this for a moment. Jae deserved to know, he always did seem like the fatherly type. But what if something happened? What if Jae knew, and their survival depended on how well he handled torture? Raz bit her lip. She wanted to tell him, really she did.

But if there was a safety issue concerning her joey, as unsettled as she was at the thought of having one, she had to take certain measures. She shook her head. "No, Jae can't know." she replied. "Just you and I."

"Are ya' sure?"

"Yes...the fewer of us who know-"

"The lesser chances Gutt has of finding out." Squint finished. Raz nodded.

"So wait," Squint said as Raz set him down. "joeys only take a month, give or take a few days, right?" Raz glared at him.

"You know tha' answah' ta' that." she replied. Squint twitched, as though certain thoughts of his baby sister had just entered his mind.

"Raz, would you mind if I-"

"No shavin', no limbs missin', no ears missin' no facial parts missin', no tail missin', no family jewels missin', and no_ head_missin'." the kangaroo replied firmly. Squint pouted.

"Aw...what about mental torture?" Raz rolled her eyes.

"No."

"Well then what am I supposed to do to him?!" Raz thought for a moment.

"Do whatever ya' can ta' make him think he's nevah' havin' kids. It's better if we deter him from...this," she placed a hand on her pouch. "as much as possible."

"Um, yeah, and how long exactly do you think we're gonna' be able to keep this from everyone?" Squint replied, gesturing towards her pouch with one hand. Raz knew he had a point; kangaroo joeys grew quick as a snap, and it wouldn't take long for her to show.

"I don't know." she replied. "As long as possible." Raz then took a deep breath and leaned back against the ice wall. "This is...a lot to...take in." Squint sat beside her once more, rubbing her arm comfortingly.

"Raz you're fine; you're okay, the joey's safe, and no one else knows about this." he assured.

"Yeah..." Raz then carefully stood up. "I've gotta' get back to Jae. If I'm not with him come morning, he'll know something's up." Squint nodded and raced over to the doorway, removing the hay that he had piled up. He then walked beside Raz as she made her way back to her and Jae's room. He paused at the doorway as she hopped back to her mate's side.

"Raz? Are you sure you'll be okay?" The kangaroo turned to him with a smile.

"I'll be fine, Squint. Go back to bed. And...thank you." With a smile, the rabbit nodded then sprinted back down the hallway. Raz turned back to Jae; he laid on the ice floor, lightly snoring, as peaceful as ever. Completely oblivious to what his mate had just experienced. She couldn't help but smile at him; when this was all blown over...she knew he would make a good father.

She then looked to her weapons, and a chill went through her. If anyone, even_ Jae_, found out she wasn't carrying them around, she'd be busted. After a good moment of thinking, an idea struck her. She gathered them all up in her arms and quickly hopped back down to the room of hay. Once there, she proceeded to artfully hide them among the piles of hay, never putting two in the same place. The only one she kept was her spiral shell spear. She could convince them well enough that she had the remaining weapons in her pouch, but she felt it somehow important that she kept her favorite one in particular in her hands at all times.

Hey, it could definitely serve to protect the joey. That thought in mind, she used one hand to gently rub her pouch in a circular pattern fondly. "_This is gonna' be one wallop of a trip._"

* * *

Shira awoke with a wide yawn, although this morning the stimulus wasn't one of her children. She blinked her baby blue orbs open, staring into the emerald green eyes of her mate. Diego smiled and teasingly licked her nose, causing Shira to smirk. She looked to where her babies should have been curled up in a heap by her stomach, but to her horror there was no tangled mass of multicolored fur all breathing as one. Shira sat up with a start, roughly smacking her shoulder into Diego's face on accident. "Gah!" he let out as he fell away, nearly falling on his back. Shira ignored him for the moment and looked around the den in a frantic fashion.

"Where are they?!"

"Shira, calm down!" Diego chided, rubbing his sore jaw. "Ellie's watching them play down by their favorite tree. I told her you and I needed a day to ourselves." Shira's panicked-mother feelings instantly deflated. Her stance relaxed and she lowered her head with a sigh. She then gave Diego's shoulder a hard shove. Diego stumbled back, then gave her an indignant look.

"What did I do?"

"You scared me half to death." Shira replied bluntly. Diego rolled his eyes.

"Fine then, maybe I don't _want_to spend a day with you." he grumbled. Shira smirked deviously and rubbed the underside of his neck, sliding from her nose the back of her neck up against him.

"And what if I want to spend a day with you?" she whispered. She smirked triumphantly and the dreamy mumble that escaped him. "I'll take that as a yes." Shira reached around and licked his cheek, leaning into his shoulder, before giving his ear a little nip. Diego chuckled and nipped hers in turn, before laying his head on Shira's with a content murmur. Shira chuckled. "So, where are we going?" she asked after a few minutes.

Diego stood and walked out of the cave, brushing his shoulder against hers, as though bekoning Shira to follow. "You'll see." he replied mysteriously.

* * *

**Well there ya' go! Another chapter finished! Review plz! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! I'm BACK! So yeah, let me know if you think I'm going too fast with this. But I have to admit, I really liked how this chapter turned out. On a side note, thank you to the four people who have reviewed so far!:**

**MBSAVfan1**

**mwang**

**Guest**

**lily (I don't know when I'll update 'Who's Boy?'. It might be when this one is over. But thank you and I'm glad you like my stories so much! :D**

**So read on my friends!**

* * *

Inocent Tena

It had only been a month since the ordeal. Raz was still very nervous about keeping her joey a secret, of course thankfully she hadn't begun to show yet. About three days after the birth, Raz started a routine; every night she would sit out on the edge of the ship's deck, and softly sing to the newborn. It was the exact same lullaby Shira sang to Raz when she was younger, and the jill remembered how soothing it was to her. At first she had only hummed it, still quite nervous and unsure whether it was the appropriate time to introduce the joey to words. But after a while, Raz became more confident and relaxed in the veil of night, and sang contentedly to the tiny ears that were listening. However, it was on this night that she discovered her mistake.

"Wait for tha' sun on a winter's day and a beam of light, shines across tha' floor." she sang softly, gently rubbing her pouch, her spear laid across her lap.

"I must admit Raz; you have a beautiful voice when it's not being used so harshly in our shanties." The deep, familiar voice caused Raz to freeze, clutching her spear tightly. She didn't turn, but rather tried to feign casualty and innocence.

"Oh, hello captain. Here ta' join me?" she asked. The ape chuckled lowly, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Actually I came here to ask you about something." Raz felt her heart begin to race.

"And what would that be?" she asked quietly.

"Well, Jae's been rather worried about you lately. You haven't spent very much time with him. Any of us really; except Squint." Raz shrugged as the ape sat beside her.

"Well...he's always been like a big brothah' ta' me. If that makes sense...and, I missed him a lot so..." she trailed off. Gutt nodded silently, turning to gaze out at the water with her.

"He misses you, though." Raz felt guilt begin to bubble up in her chest. "I can tell he's afraid he'll lose you." The kangaroo finally turned to the primate.

"Lose me? To tha' life of a pirate?" she asked. Gutt shrugged.

"One can only assume." Raz sighed.

"Well this is a fine mess." she muttered. "So, he actually told ya' all that?"

"I eavesdropped most of that." Gutt replied with a smirk. Raz couldn't help but give a small smirk back and chuckle.

"So...I guess I should try and spend more time with him."

"It would probably be a good idea." Silence engulfed the two for a while.

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"I hear you singin' that lullaby every night; the one Shira taught you." Raz tensed.

"Oh. Was I disturbin' yer' watch?"

"Not at all." Raz felt the back of a hairy hand brush against her left cheek, and instantly turned to the captain, shifting back a bit. He was staring at her with scrutinizing eyes. "You've been hiding something Raz. From me...from Jae...everyone." The kangaroo stood and backed away from the ape, towards the center of the deck. Gutt followed her with a ferocious stance.

"Gutt...I...it's nothin'." she stuttered, coming up against the back wall of the ship. The ape only came closer, standing just in front of her, up on his hind feet. He was glaring at her now; Gutt did not like being lied to. Raz gulped, slightly hunkering down, trembling.

"There must be_ something_." Gutt replied. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be so nervous right now."

"Nothin's wrong Gutt."

"Then why are you trembling?"

'Who wouldn't if they had you loomin' over 'em?"

"Stop lying Raz."

"I'm not lyin' captain." Gutt gave a low growl, pressing his claws to the jill's pouch. Raz gave the smallest of gasps, trying not to appear fazed. Gutt had threatened to, well, gutt her many times before just like this. If she simply acted with her regular amount of confidence, she would be fine. And yet Raz couldn't unfreeze herself. "_It's gonna' suffocate._"

"You will tell me, if no one else, what's so private."

"_It's gonna' suffocate._" Raz didn't move, didn't speak a word. She felt Gutt's claws dig deeper into her still, his palm pressing harder.

"Tell me _now_ Raz!"

"_It's gonna' suffocate._" Before she knew what she was doing, Raz found herself leaning back on her tail and kicking her hind feet out in front of her, careful not to stick the ape with her claws. Gutt let out a grunt as she knocked the wind out of him, sliding back a good meter across the deck. Raz was for once glad of her kangaroo strength. Gutt groaned as he got back to his feet, glaring at Raz. The jill was still balanced on her tail, feet held ready in the air should Gutt be stupid enough to come near her again. Her eyed narrowed as she felt anger boiling inside her.

"_Nevah'_...mess with a momma kangaroo." she hissed. Gutt's eyes widened in shock, and Raz's did in turn as she realized what she had said. "_Oh crikey._"

"So that's what this is all about." Gutt said quietly. "That's why you left isn't it?"

"Wha-?"

"You could have come back to the ship. You could have still been a pirate. And yet I found you on that island chit-chatting with that _stupid_ mammoth." The ape's voice was quite but laced with malice. "_You_ wanted a family...and the one you had wasn't good enough."

"Gutt ya' don't undah'stand!" Raz protested. "Manny and them, they rescued me. Yes they wanted to toss me back in, granted that, but Shira convinced them-"

"Shira? Oh, of course, the traitor won her _daughter_ over!" Raz ground her teeth in rage. "The apple didn't fall far from the tree I see."

"Don't ya'_ dare_ talk about Shira like that!" Raz snapped. "All she evah' did was take care of me! She saved mah' life that day, and I only met Jae cause I was separated from her by a storm!" Gutt was slowly making his way to her now, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"You know I_ knew_ you'd be trouble from the start." he sneered. "That's why I tried to steer Shira away from taking you in. If you were a _normal_ kangaroo, you'd spend most of your adult life carrying around those little_ joeys_. And then of course she named you _Raz_. You know what that means?" Raz held her spear at ready, still balanced on her tail. "It means whoever bears that name holds a monumental amount of importance on starting a family."

"I kept you on the ship as much as possible, I never made any stops on that continent I picked you up from ever again, I did my_ hardest_to convince you that the life of a pirate was the only one for you. But it seems Shira has bested me."

"Gutt all I'm here for is one last round with ya', that's all you wanted. When this bounty hunt was ovah', I was plannin' on askin' ya' ta' drop Jae and I off with Shira. Even if ya' feel like ya' hafta' do it on tha' othah' side of tha' island."

"Oh of course." Gutt said, beginning to circle her. "You think that I'll treat you just like a crew member again."

"If ya'_ don't_ I have tha' weapons ta' _make_ya." Raz threatened. Gutt laughed softly.

"Oh that's rich. A mother kangaroo threatening an ape that she'll turn on him if he's not respectful. Let me just remind you Raz, I know exactly how old that joey is, now that you've made its existence clear. And I_ know_where you sleep in this ship."

"So does Jae."

"Jae does you no good if he's asleep." Raz decided not to comment on that note.

"Ya' know, if Squint knew what was goin' on right now, he'd_ insist_on sleepin' in the same room as me." Gutt growled.

"If anything he'd distract me with his annoyance."

"Well he_ is_very violent. Plus of course he's mah' big brothah'. I'm sure he could work out somethin'." Gutt froze, staring at her.

"You _told him_." he snarled lowly.

"I had no othah' choice."

"No other choice my nonexistent tail!" Gutt shot back. "You wanted his protection, what little there is."

"At least I can trust him."

"I don't see why anyone could_ trust_ that little ball of hyperactive fur."

"He was tha' only one there Gutt." The ape froze, eyes boring into her inquisitively. "I wanted him there as much as I wanted to be alone." The two stared at each other for a while. "You won't touch me Gutt. Or tha' joey, or Jae. Or even Squint. Cause if ya'_ do_, ya' _know_ it won't end well." Gutt smirked and chuckled.

"Oh don't worry Raz. I have use for you yet. Your, _precious joey_, is still safe." Raz held the tip of her spear in his direction, eyeing him warily. "You might as well go back to bed now."

* * *

**RazVsGutt Smackdown # 1! Plz review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey peoples! I'm back! Sorry I took so long, had a problem with the internet. You know while I was typing this chapter I asked myself, "****_Should I really be that mean to them? Should I cut it off there?_****" And than answered myself, "****_Yeah I'm gonna' be mean to 'em and cut it off there!_****" So yeah, please don't be angry! I'll probably start on chapter ten as soon as I get this up. Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter:**

**MBSAVfan1: Well, I think you'll find out part of what Gutt's planning in this chapter. ;) I don't know, I did some (MORE) research on kangaroos and well...I won't give anything away yet. I think they start getting their fur at like five months old. Thanks, I'm glad you're liking it. ;)**

**mwang: Thank you for the dramatic sounds!**

**Guest: Uh yeah, I get that. I ****_am _****a girl after all...**

* * *

Inocent Tena

Diego jogged lightly along the coastline, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his fur as he observed the water. Life for him had been going well; the cubs were now seven months old and healthy, he had even started taking them out for hunting lessons. Shira was happy for the most part, but there was one thing that plagued them all. Even Manny, although he wouldn't admit it. Raz had been gone for a long while now, and Diego was truly worried about her. "_My best friends friends are a mammoth and sloth, my mate is a former pirate, I have one friend living underground...if he's still alive; It's no surprise my adoptive daughter is a former kangaroo pirate._" Diego chuckled at his thoughts, but the worry returned.

By all means he should fit the role of a father figure of some sort for Raz, and yet he felt he had filled it inadequately. He had absolutely rejected her at first, but had tolerated her for Shira's sake. But after a while, he had come to truly like her. But now he knew what he had to to the next time he saw her. He made his way across to the other side of the island, where the wild was uninhabited by any animals. The hyrax stayed far away from it, which confused Diego. This was their home island, so shouldn't they know everything about it and go where they please?

What frightened them so? Suddenly, in the middle of his jog, something from beneath his paws lifted off the ground, taking Diego with it. "Gah!" he let out as his limbs tangled themselves in a mass of green vines that had been artfully hidden just under the top of the sand. He thrashed around in a panicky fashion, growling and trying to claw his way out. He heard approaching footsteps and froze, unable to turn and see who it was. A low chuckle reached his ears that sent shivers down his spine. "Nice to see you again,_ kitty_."

"_Gutt_." he snarled. "Good to see you remember me. I have another familiar face that I think you'll be very interested to see." With that Diego felt Gutt hoist the net over his shoulder, and the ape began making his way along the beach.

* * *

Raz yawned as she awoke in Jae's embrace, and smiled up at his sleeping face. She then noticed how tightly he was holding onto her. "_He really is afraid._" she thought sadly, and nuzzled his neck with her nose, sighing. "I love ya' Jae, I really do." she whispered. Raz gently rubbed her pouch in a circular pattern, feeling guilty. "I know you'd be so happy ta' know." she muttered.

"Raz, get up, now!" The kangaroo jumped at Squint's voice, which also happened to awake Jae. The jack looked around blearily.

"Wha-what? What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up and holding Raz close.

"Jae, settle down. It's just Squint."

"Both of you come on, hurry!" the rabbit urged. The kangaroos glanced at each other, before standing and hopping after Squint as he sped down the hallway. They emerged above deck to see the rest of the crew excitedly gathered around something, while Gutt was smiling proudly at what Raz could only assume was his catch. The creature was thrashing around and snarling, threatening the animals around him. Raz, finding the voice strangely familiar, pushed her way through the crowd so she could glimpse what had captured their attention. She was shocked to see none other than Diego laying tangled in a vine net in the middle of the deck.

"Diego?" she asked incredulously. The saber instantly stopped struggling, and stared up at her in shock.

"Raz?" The kangaroo hopped forward and gently untangled him, tossing the net to Flynn. "What are you doing here?" Raz shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

"Eh, just one last round. Soon as I finished I was gonna' come back home, honest." she replied. Jae then made his way through the crowd and stood protectively beside Raz, gently but firmly taking his hand in hers. He eyed Diego warily.

"Raz, who's this?" he asked. Diego raised a brow at the jack, before shifting his gaze to Raz.

"Uh, well, Diego this is my mate, Jae."

"Mate as in friend or mate as in-"

"Life partner." Diego smirked.

"I see."

"Jae, this is Diego. You could say he's my adoptive dad." Jae's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?"

"It's a long story-"

"One that we don't have time for." Gutt interrupted. "Squint, secure him. Raz, take the saber below and keep him somewhere safe."

"Uh, captain? Maybe, if we just-"

"_Now_, Raz." Gutt said lowly. Raz swallowed thickly at the look in his eyes; a look that said he'd reveal certain details of the night before if she didn't obey.

"Right captain." By now Squint had tied the saber's legs together so that he had fallen onto his side with a grunt, immobile. She leaned down and then hefted the saber onto her shoulder, then began hopping below deck. Jae trailed after her protectively, eyeing the saber who's face hung over Raz's back. She deposited the saber gently in one of the hay piles in the storage room below, and then cut his bond with her spear. Jae nervously fidgeted his hands, as though trying to reach for the spear but afraid of having it turned on himself.

"Uh, Raz Raz Raz! Maybe we shouldn't-" But Diego was already free. He stood and shook his pelt out, then sat cordially and looked up at the two kangaroos.

"So, I assume at least _one_ of you knows why I'm here?" he asked. Raz shrugged and turned to Jae, who held his hands up. She turned back to Diego.

"I guess that ansah's_ that_ question. I didn't even know Gutt was goin' ta' pick someone else up. He mustah' done it earliah'. Or I slept in." she added sheepishly.

"Which still raises the question of _why_I'm here." Diego replied, glancing down at the floor. He blinked as he realized what he was sitting in. "Also-what's with all the uh, straw?"

"Um, I'd say Gutt put put it here fer' Jae and I but...I couldn't say fer' sure." Raz replied with a shrug. "Look, just stay down here and keep low, we've gotta' head back up and see what Gutt's next move is." Diego nodded, and Raz lead Jae out of the room.

* * *

Diego sighed and laid down, trying to make himself comfortable. It always made one's worrying about his mate and children a lot less stressful if he was comfortable. However, as he twisted and rolled around, Diego found it impossible to situate himself comfortably in the hay. Finally, he sat up and rummaged his paws through they hay. He suddenly, harshly, swiped it across a sharp blade. He jerked his paw back out with a hiss of pain, eyes widening at the gash that went down the center of his palm all the way to his wrist, oozing a substantial amount of blood. "What the-?"

Keeping his injured left paw in the air, he carefully put his uninjured right paw in the hay and slowly felt around, soon grasping a hilt of some sort. He slowly pulled a fish bone sword out of the straw and gawped at it confusedly. "What on earth?" He looked around at the other piles of hay, it suddenly dawning on him that each one could be hiding a deadly weapon. And there were a_ lot_ of piles. Diego realized that the blood was dripping down his forearm and leaving red splotches in the hay, and hurriedly reburied the sword, doing his best to hide the blood as well. Once finished, he cautiously stepped off the hay and lay on his belly in the middle of the room, where there was only an ice floor.

He then proceeded to lick the wound, the smell of his blood stinging his olfactory senses. And with his body physically preoccupied, the worries for Shira and his cubs descended upon his mind like a cloud of vultures on a fresh, untouched carcass.

**Line Break~**

Raz and Jae arrived and were beckoned over by Gutt. The ape then began his lecture, "Now me harties, since we have the last piece of needed baggage, our hunt shall begin!"

"And what exactly do we need the saber for?" Squint asked, once again leaning on his knife hilt. Gutt chuckled.

"I figured you would ask that. And the answer, my good pirate, is much the same as why we need _her _here." he replied, nodding towards Raz. The kangaroo placed a hand on her chest in surprise.

"Me?" she asked.

"Oh yes." Gutt replied, and Jae took Raz's hand in his protectively. "You see, Raz, I'll explain about you first since it makes more sense. You know that lullaby Shira would sing you every night?" Raz tensed.

"More or less." she replied, in the mood to test her captain's nerves.

"Good, I hope you remember all of it. Because that song is the key to finding one of the greatest collections of bounty, in the history of the world." Excited mutterings erupted amongst the crew, save for Raz and Jae, who glanced at each other.

* * *

**What is this? A key to finding secret bounty? Hmm... almost seems like a classic pirate adventure. XD PLZ REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back so soon? Well, I had to make up for that big gap. Enjoy and review! :D**

* * *

Inocent Tena

"Captain, what are ya' talkin' about?" Raz asked. The ape chuckled.

"Did it ever occur to you Raz that the Druids and their tomb, their stone ring, are all real?" Nobody said a word.

"Well...Shira told me once that...the story of tha' Druids was real history. But...she didn't know much about 'em."

"Not that she would. We picked her up from the west. That Diego fellow though..." Gutt went pensively silent. "I'm sure he's eastern. There's a definite fur distinction between those from the west and those from the east. He's the spitting image of what they say the Druid's fur pattern was."

"If _any_ saber knew of that piece of history, it'd be him." Raz gave a start at the new information.

"So if_ he's_so knowledgeable about this, why do ya' need Raz?" Jae interjected.

"Because, the lullaby is a key to _finding_the place. Once we have gotten to the right point, we will implement the saber." Raz was terrified at what she could read between the lines. Not only was she key, but Gutt would expose her secret, or do worse, if she didn't play along. "Does everyone understand?" There were positive replies. "Good, then shove off."

"We make for the east!" Gutt commanded, climbing up the mast. The crew went about their duties excitedly, except for Raz.

* * *

Diego had barely finished licking his paw clean when Raz returned, looking slightly flustered. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. And, we know why Gutt wants ya' here now."

"And?"

"Well...ya' know about tha' Druids, right?" she asked.

"_Not the Druids, anything but that!_" Diego thought with a flinch. "Uh, yeah. I'm...pretty familiar with them."

"Good. Because that's why." Diego's eyes widened.

"_What?_"

"He wants their secret bounty." Raz explained. "It's supposed to be one of tha' biggest in tha' world." Diego gulped.

"_The fools_!" he thought. "Raz, listen to me." he said seriously. "Get me an audience with Gutt now."

"_Why?_"

"Just do it. I'm trying to save_ everyone's_ lives." Diego insisted. Raz gave a slight start, placing a hand on her pouch. "Raz?" he asked, taking a step forward. On his injured paw. Diego halted and let out a hiss of pain, lifting his paw off the floor. The kangaroo instantly took a hop forward, bending down and taking his paw in her hands.

"Crikey, Diego what did ya' do to yer'self?" she asked upon seeing the cut. Her eyes then widened. "Oh, this is mah' fault."

"You mean _you_put the sword there?" Raz nodded. "Wait, I thought you carried them around in that pouch of yours." Raz sighed deeply.

"I did...but then...somethin' happened." Diego stared up at her inquisitively.

"What happened?" Raz sighed.

"I'm a mum." she replied sheepishly. Diego blinked, then his eyes widened.

"_Oh_. And, no one_ else_knows about this?"

"Squint and Gutt."

"But not _Jae_?" Diego asked with a raised eyebrow. Raz shook her head sadly.

"Squint was all I had fer' a midwife, and Gutt found out on accident."

"He wasn't supposed to was he?"

"No." Raz replied. "I just don't know what ta' do." she admitted sadly. "I'm afraid of tellin' Jae, and I know Gutt's gonna' do somethin' horrible ta' me as soon as this whole endeavor is ovah'." Diego laid a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright." he said. "At least Jae's not the kind of guy to leave the minute he finds out something about you that's a bit...well...nontraditional." Raz chuckled.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I'm worried though."

"Maybe you should tell him." Diego suggested.

"What if he takes it tha' wrong way?" The saber raised an eyebrow.

"How does he take a_ baby_the wrong way?" he asked incredulously.

"He just could." Diego rolled his eyes.

"Raz, stop being so...pessimistic. Believe me, he _needs_to know." The kangaroo glanced away, indecisive. "He won't have a problem with it, trust me." Raz sighed, then smiled at him.

"Thanks tigah'." she said. Diego smiled back. Raz stood up to her full height and expertly twirled her spear for a moment.

"You keep that one with you?"

"Yeah, it's mah' favorite." Raz replied softly, then, looked back at the saber. "Stay here, we don't need aneh'more problems on this ship." Diego nodded, and the kangaroo hopped out of the room.

* * *

Raz quietly peeked in her and Jae's room to see the jack staring out at the ocean through a circular hole cut into the wall that served as a window. Taking a deep breath, she hopped up beside him and took his hand in hers. Jae turned to her with a smile, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek. "Haven't seen ya' much." he said quietly. Raz frowned sadly and glanced away.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just...ever since tha' first night here I've been-" Jae gently put a finger to her lips.

"Ya' missed yer' friends. They're like family to ya'. I undah'stand." Raz gently removed his finger, now clasping both of his hands.

"I know ya' do. But yer' still afraid. And, I want ta' put those fears ta' rest." she replied. "Although what I want ta' say could bring a whole new batch of fears, but, those would be good fears." Jae blinked at her confusedly.

"What?"

"Just, listen Jae." Raz took another deep breath, then gently held Jae's hands against her pouch. The jack still stared at her perplexedly. "Jae...remembah' tha' night we came togethah'?" Jae nodded slowly. "Ya' know how I said...what we did, didn't matter because of an injury I sustained as a child?" Jae nodded once more, clearly not seeing where Raz was going. Or perhaps he just didn't want to; a terrifying thought to Raz.

"Well...I suppose I didn't properly explain part of that. And tha' othah' part...I was somehow wrong about."

"Raz." Jae interrupted. "I love ya' with all mah' heart, and that's no lie. But _please_," he begged. "talk _plainly_. Tell me what's on yer' mind." Raz smiled and laid her head on Jae's chest, before turning her face serious once more.

"That injury...was given ta' me by Gutt." The jack stiffened. "I didn't see it as so back then though, I was too young. I saw a blow ta' mah' gutt as a punishment, but not...a hindrance."

"And ya' still_ respected_him?"

"He was a good captain. Harsh, but he took care of us. Rescued us from our predicaments and gave us a home, a life. A chance. It was when he went revenge crazy that things went downhill. And apparently they haven't gotten any bettah'." Raz paused for a moment, listening to her mate's deep, steady heartbeat.

"And now things are only worse between him and I because...tha' one thing he_ didn't_want me ta' do... " Raz sighed, her fear rising.

"What happened Raz?" Jae asked softly, gently rubbing his nose against her head. The jill looked up at him with nervous eyes and ears drooping more than normal.

"Jae..." her voice was barely audible. "I'm a mum, and yer' a dad." Raz closed her eyes and stopped speaking, still leaning against Jae in hopes he wouldn't be mad. She tuned her ears to focus solely on his heartbeat, finding herself surprisingly comforted by the loud pumping sound emanating from his strong, soft-furred chest. Raz breathed deeply, inhaling his scent and slowly relaxing. She almost didn't register Jae wrapping an arm around her, but keeping one hand on her pouch.

"How old is it?" his voice whispered softly in her ear.

"A month." Raz's voice was equally quiet, as she was still very nervous.

"So we have another three weeks before we know."

"Yes." Her hopes began to rise. Had Diego been right; would Jae accept the child? Would he accept the duties of a father? "I'm sorreh' I didn't tell ya' soonah', but I was so afraid of, everything that's happened..." A gentle hand pushed Raz's chin upwards so that she stared into Jae's eyes. He smiled softly at her, and Raz gave a tiny smile back.

"Ya' know I love ya' too much ta' let ya' be afraid of anythin'." Jae whispered.

"I do now." Raz whispered back, playfully pressing her nose against the jack's with a smirk. The two stilled, and then Jae ever so gently pressed his lips against those of Raz. The jill was surprised at first, but was drawn by the softness and passion radiating from the contact. She gently pressed back, feeling warm and protected. Jae wrapped both arms around her, and Raz did likewise.

* * *

Squint watched the kangaroo pair from his perch around the wall. He could see a connection in their eyes; an understanding, a forgiveness, a bond. A bond he thought his baby sister would never find. The kiss was soft and passionate, not forced or over the top. Just a quiet conversation, alone, in a room with two animals. He smiled softly at them, before turning and walking back down the hallway. "_Ya' picked the right one Raz. I have no doubts._"

* * *

Gutt smiled softly out at the never ending ocean from his perch on the mast. His plan was coming together nicely.

* * *

**I've been working while I was away...XD So how was this chapter? Sorry I update it at like nine forty-seven pm, but what do you think? PLZ REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I come bearing the next chapter! Hope you guys like this one! And the name for the joey was given to me by MBSAVfan1. :)**

* * *

Inocent Tena

After another three weeks, the ship finally docked on the new, smaller continent in the east, where the Druid's bounty was said to be hidden. Gutt had Flynn tie the ship to the closest tree to the beach via a long, strong vine, and the assortment of mammals began heading inland. The seafaring portion had slight trouble walking on the solid ground, save for Gutt and Raz. Having spent a few months on solid ground beforehand, she had little trouble shifting environments. Gutt was as usual, an enigma, therefore no one could tell how he had no trouble going across the hard-packed dirt. Perhaps it was because he went on all fours? Raz and Jae hopped beside each other slowly so as not to get ahead of everyone.

And yet Raz was an internal whirlwind; she was anxious, excited, afraid, and simply wished that for a single moment, Gutt would disappear and take all of her anxieties with him. But one could not have everything in life, and so Raz contented herself with the protection of Jae, Squint, and Diego; at least whenever he wasn't tied up. Upon docking, Gutt had found a rather long tree branch and insisted on tying Diego's paws to it so that the saber hung upside down like a human hunting trophy. They had been walking (or rather, hopping in Raz's case) for a good hour and a half now, and she wondered how the saber hadn't gone lightheaded yet. He seemed to just scowl up at the sky perpetually as he swung left and right, his branch in the grip of Gutt and Jae since Flynn had been left to watch the ship. She made small conversation with him, which seemed to lighten his spirits, and he wouldn't scowl at her. He wouldn't even scowl when Jae said an occasional word or two to him.

The rest of the pirate crew busied themselves by talking to each other about pirate things that the saber wouldn't understand nor care about, but Raz found herself happier to talk with her mate and adoptive father. The thought, the circumstance itself, was still new and a bit strange to her. Shira she had always seen as 'mummy', no matter where or what. Diego was different; Raz had first met him under the circumstance that he was her crew's captive and therefore not to be socialized with in a kind way. She could poke and prod him all she wanted, could tease him, he was practically a toy. Shira's toy as well, only she ended up falling for him. And even after he and his herd had defeated Gutt, Diego saw her with contempt and anger, not willing to forgive her or give her even the smallest chance.

After a while he had warmed up to her, enough to even let her babysit his cubs. But the two had never made any sort of connection; although that was probably due to the fact that Diego had no idea what little family he was wedging himself into when he took Shira for a mate, and Shira herself sought to protect Raz by keeping her adoption a secret. But Diego seemed much more compliant with his capture than last time; he was silent except when spoken to, and seemed to get the idea that escape was futile. Squint seemed a little less hostile to him as well, although Diego barely spoke to him and usually gave him his 'sky scowl', as Raz had decided to call it. She was thankful that he took the discovery of her joey well, and even more thankful for Jae's acceptance of the little one. They traveled all day, stopping just after the sun went down and taking shelter in a large cave. Diego was laid down in the back of the cave, still tied to the stick so as to prevent escape.

The pirate crew settled themselves in various places, Squint closest to the kangaroo couple, who had decided to sleep in the back near Diego. Gutt slept in a large tree just outside the cave's entrance. Raz laid beside Jae, wrapped in a double-armed embrace, her front pressed against his side. The jack had sworn the night she had told him about their joey that he would do anything and everything to protect it. And yet, some things Raz wanted done alone. After allowing herself a few minutes of rest, she cautiously opened her golden eyes, taking a chance to glance around the cave. Once ascertaining that everyone was asleep, she carefully pulled out of Jae's embrace, sitting up.

She glanced back at Diego, staring for a moment at his sleeping form, his paws savagely tied to the branch. Looking to make sure no one else was watching her, she quickly but carefully loosened the vines around his ankles so that his paws would stop turning purple. He shifted his head, letting out a murmur, causing Raz to flinch. "Shira...I'm coming Shira." His voice was soft, his lips barely moved, but Raz felt her heart clench at the amount of longing in his voice. She turned back to Jae and gently kissed his cheek, before standing and hopping out of the cave's entrance. She glanced up at Gutt's tree, eyeing him for a moment as he steadily breathed in and out, appearing to be asleep.

Then she hopped further off into the trees, finding a nice secluded clearing covered in grass. She looked around for a moment, then spotted a large leaf laying on the ground. Raz picked it up, and then sat down, leaning against one of the trees. She laid the leaf across her lap, then took a deep breath. Tenderly, she reached into her pouch, and wrapped her hands around the tiny body that lay nestled within its warm confines. She carefully but quickly took it out and set it on the leaf, then wrapped the plant around it for warmth. Raz then cradled the bundle against her chest, staring in awe at the tiny pink face.

It would be a few months yet before the joey grew any fur, but now was the time that one thing could be discovered. Raz smiled and rocked the baby for a moment. "Hello little one. Ya' have no idea how much trouble yer' worth." she chuckled. The joey wriggled slightly, reaching one of its tiny hands in the air, as though trying to grab something. Holding one arm against the joey's body so that it was pressed to her chest, Raz gently pulled part of the leaf wrap away, and to her delight saw a small pouch on the joey's stomach. She gently stroked it with one claw, before wrapping the joey up once more.

She held it underneath her chin for a moment, before nuzzling it gently with her nose. "Mah' little girl." she whispered. Her daughter shifted her head and once again grabbed at the air. Now all she needed was a name. "What to call a little miracle like you..." Raz thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "That's it." she said softly.

"I'll call ya' Mira. Cause yer' the biggest miracle in mah' life." She smiled and once more nuzzled the newly christened Mira, before gently unwrapping her and placing her back in the pouch. Then Raz discarded the leaf and stuck as much of her muzzle as she could into the pouch to groom Mira, remembering the fact that she had noticed the joey had a 'dirty bum'. Once satisfied that Mira was clean, she stood and headed back to the cave, soon reaching Gutt's tree. She paused and eyed him cautiously, before re entering the cave. She hopped her way back to Jae.

The jack murmured and opened his eyes upon Raz slipping back into his embrace. He placed a hand on her pouch, looking at her with questioning eyes. Raz positioned her mouth over his ear and whispered, "Mira." Jae smiled and nodded, then wrapped his other arm around her and pulled the jill close, falling asleep once more. Raz smiled and laid her head on Jae's chest, wrapping an arm around him and placing her other hand on her pouch protectively. "Goodnight Mira." she thought.

* * *

Squint was harshly awoken the next morning by Gutt. "ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY UP!" The rabbit awoke with a jump, springing up a good couple yards into the air, before laying his ears flat and wincing.

"Sheesh Gutt, some of us _aren't_ actually deaf yet." he complained. Grumbling, he looked around at the rest of the cave's occupants. Boris hadn't moved an inch, of course he was the heaviest sleeper out of them all. Gupta had rolled over and was rubbing his eyes, yawning. He then cast his eyes over to Raz and Jae; for a moment he smiled, remembering the tender moment between them he had glimpsed. Jae was already sitting up, but he was giving Gutt an unwavering stare. As though he was watching him for anything suspicious.

"So he should be. Gutt won't take lightly to Raz's kid." Raz herself had barely awoken; she was yawning and rubbing her eyes vigorously. Squint made his way over to the pair, glancing at Gutt hopped up onto the kangaroos lap, smirking at her. "Morning!" he greeted brightly. Raz smiled back with sleepy eyes.

"Mornin' Squint. How's Diego doin'?" she asked, turning to the saber. Squint looked to their captive as well, noticing the familiar wince and flat ears. He bounded over and patted the feline's head. For once, Diego didn't glare or snap when he came near.

"Ya' get used to it." he muttered. Diego sighed and shifted his limbs, and the rabbit noticed that his bonds seemed a bit looser. He shifted his gaze to Raz as she stood. They congregated at the front of the cave, then had breakfast. Once the meal was over, the question arose of where they were headed. Gutt drew their attention to Raz."You're the most knowledgeable of the lullaby, Raz. Where does it say we're to go?" The kangaroo cowered slightly.

"It just says that there's a place in the east, it doesn't specify." Gutt nodded.

"In that case, the saber may be helpful to us a little bit sooner." The ape turned to Diego, who hung in quite a pride crushing fashion from his branch, which had been laid across two stones so that he still hung upside down. He didn't reply, but rather stared up at the sky boredly, actually swinging himself back and forth apparently for fun. "Diego," Gutt addressed him lowly. "you wouldn't happen to know any indication of where the Druid's treasure would be located...would you?" The saber craned his neck back to look at the grass below him.

"Hey look at that! I didn't know I look this far behind myself!" he exclaimed. "You know there's more in life than _food_ despite what Sid tells me." he commented to the ape. "Why not take a break? You know, relax in the grass, see the land, cloud watch?" Gutt made his way over to the swinging saber and gripped his head, turning it painfully so that their eyes met. Diego winced and let out a grunt.

"Your little 'distractions', won't work on me." he hissed. "I don't _care why_ you're trying to deter me from this; whether you think it will help you get back to your precious _family_or whatnot." Diego's shoulders tensed at the mention of 'family'.

"_Guess he and Shira really hit it off._" Squint thought.

"Tell me _where_, Diego, or there will be _consequences_." The rabbit noticed the ape glance over at Raz, and Diego seemed to tense even more. The saber freed himself with a jerk of his neck, turning his face away.

"The Druid's had a special meeting place. And their activities there prohibited others from approaching. Out of fear. It was, as the lullaby states, a circle of stones. Pillars in fact, made of rock. I _can_ lead you to it," he continued, wriggling slightly and twisting his ankles. "It happens to be near an old...home...of mine."

With that, Diego suddenly gave another twist with all four ankles and dropped to the ground, flipping in the air so that he landed on all fours. He smirked up at Gutt. "That is, _if_you'd be willing to trust me." The primate glared at him for a moment, then gestured with his arms.

"Lead the way, _saber_."

"I prefer 'ubertracker'."

* * *

**WARNING: Do not use this story for a reliable source on Druids. A good portion of this will be my own imagination. Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Back at last! And this chapter is longer, yay! (At least I think it is...) Enjoy and leave a review!**

* * *

Inocent Tena

Diego led the pirate crew for many weeks. He kept a constant vigil for any landmarks that would indicate they were headed for Half Peak. His old base was a good starting point for finding Stonehenge, as much as the fact made him moody and the memories behind it pained him. Gutt walked at the same distance ahead of the rest of their band as Diego, although he stayed far from the saber. Sadly, tracking his way back was no easy task after the continents had decided to split up. The land was ravaged with trenches from minor earthquakes, and many of the landmarks Diego was once so familiar with were gone. But worst of all was the guilt weighing in his chest.

It was almost as if he were leading Manny and Sid to Soto again; for he knew to seek out the treasure of the Druid's was to seek one's own demise. "_I have to stop this. These guys may be pirates, but even the foulest creatures on earth don't deserve what Gutt is blindly leading them into. And Raz...she has Jae to be with, and her joey to take care of. Someone that young deserves to live longer. And Shira; if I die...she'll never be the same. My cubs...they need a father._"

Diego drew near to Gutt's side, clearing his throat. "Gutt, listen. I know _why_ you're doing this. You had something very important that took a long time to get, and then in an instant you lost it. I _know_ how that feels. There was something that I cherished once and I lost it in a fraction of the time it took to get it." Gutt didn't say a word.

"You want to feel better in an instant because that's how long it took to _loose_ everything, and it makes you feel justified. I _understand_ that urge, how overpowering it is, how wanting everything back _feels_." The primate didn't give nary a flinch. "But reclaiming your bounty all at once like this with the Druid's treasure is not the way to fix what happened."

"Then what _is_ the way?" Gutt asked quietly, his four-legged stride not missing a beat.

"Find a new ship. A bigger, better one that can hold more, one that's less likely to sink. Go back to the sea where you belong and get back to terrorizing unwary trespassers of your territory because believe me Gutt; you're not the master here." The ape finally looked over at him, but his stride didn't falter.

"I'd suggest watching your tongue saber, otherwise it's back to the stick for you." Diego paused, watching as Gutt got a little farther ahead.

"It's cursed Gutt, every single piece of it." That made the primate stop. "Stonehenge is haunted; you're leading everyone in this party, even _yourself_, into a death trap." He glared at Gutt's back. "You _know_ who you're putting in danger. You know the life of who's _child_ you're risking."

"Then I guess we'll need to be cautious." Gutt continued walking. Diego stared despairingly at him, before looking back at the rest of the crew, Raz in particular. He sighed and sadly and looked back to the front, catching up with Gutt.

"_Just lovely._"

* * *

Shira yawned as she awoke, smiling down at the pile of fluff that was her cubs. Almost eight months old, they were strong and playful. She looked around the den to see that Diego was absent. "_Must have gone for a jog._" she thought. She began gently licking the cubs awake, using slightly more force than she would to put them to sleep. They awoke with tiny mewls and yawns, pawing at her tongue in annoyance. Shira smirked softly at them.

* * *

The party traveled for another two days before reaching Half Peak. They camped the second night in the old mountain, even more chipped and crumbled since the continental drift. Diego looked around the black walls of rock tiredly, internally wincing at the most recent memories. They bedded down in the center, where the final battle between Diego and his old pack had taken place. There was a mound of snow next to one of the walls, and Diego discreetly laid himself next to it. Somehow, knowing Soto -even if he was dead - was near, made him feel a little more confident. Perhaps it was the relationship between him and his pack leader that he had once existed.

Diego watched through half lidded eyes as the pirates plus Jae settled themselves in, his green orbs lingering on Raz as she curled within Jae's embrace. They closed completely, and Diego found himself in a memory he thought he'd long forgotten.

* * *

_ The teen saber stumbled through the forest, bleeding and bruised. He let out short bark-like sounds and whines, calling for his pack. They had been traveling for a while now, to where his father wouldn't say. But he had his son only hunt with his mother for some reason, and the young saber could feel the tension in the pack. No matter if they were loping along, or stopping for a water break, or even bedding down for the night, every wolf was nervous. The saber wondered if his different nature prevented him from seeing why, or perhaps the fact that he was only thirteen months and everyone else was older than him. But such things didn't matter now; he had been separated from his mother by a landslide, and try as he might, he couldn't find any familiar scents. _

_ He sniffed the ground and air in earnest once more, before lifting his head to peer through the trees desperately. A youth was never safe without its parent, the young saber knew this well. He whined and let out another few bark sounds, before curling up at the base of a tree. Night was coming on, and there was no other shelter in the forest. He tried to fall asleep, but found the cold and loneliness to be too distracting. He had always felt safe at his mother's side, and protected by his father's presence nearby and the rest of the pack. But he was alone, and vulnerable to anything. _

_ He tossed and turned until the full moon arose, at which point he stood, shook the leaves out of his fur, and continued on, abandoning the idea of sleep. It wasn't long before the forest ended, and the teen came across a rocky outcropping. The sky was clear and full of twinkling stars, and brought hope to him. Surely they would hear him now. He tipped his head back and let out a howl, calling for recognition. He waited, hoping to hear at least one of his parents' returning songs. But the night was silent. _

_ Worried, the youth howled again, desperate for a reply; surely they weren't too far apart that they couldn't hear him calling. After all, they always sang at the full moon. But no matter how numerous his attempts, no one howled back. He sat dejectedly on the ledge, head bowed. He let out a few last effort yelps, but no one replied. With a tear trailing down one cheek, he mentally accepted the fact that his pack, his family, was gone. His wounds still bled, and were now dirty, aching, and stinging from his attempted rest in the dirt. _

_ He whimpered, unsure what to do with himself. He had no pack, no home, and was probably going to die from infection, or blood loss. A twig snapped from behind, and he spun around, wide green eyes searching the trees. When nothing approached, he turned back to the sky with a sigh. "You look lost little one." He whipped around at the sound of the new voice; a deep, mature one. Before him stood an adult saber, much larger than he, seemingly having appeared out of no where._

_ He backed away, but soon came to the edge, and looked up at the adult fearfully. He had heard other members of his pack mutter to each other about sabers; dangerous, killing creatures with a hot temper. Although his mother and father had always put such mutterings to rest in an instant, shaming them for speaking such things around him. He lowered to the ground submissively, fearful of what the stranger might do. Had he unknowingly crossed into this adult's territory? He'd heard sabers didn't take well to trespassers. "Do you know where your pack is?"_

_ "N-no."_

_ "Do they reside nearby?"_

_ "We've been traveling. They've probably moved on. Without me."_

_ "Ah. A left behind youth. I've seen many in my days." The teen gulped. "You have no place to stay?"_

_ "No." The adult studied him for a moment. _

_ "Come with me." He nervously followed the older feline, sticking close to his side once they reached the stranger's pack. The adult led him into a den. "Lay there." he said, motioning his head towards the back of the den. The younger saber complied, frightened as to what the stranger was going to do. Once situated, he closed his eyes and prepared for whatever might happen._

_ But he was not prepared for what the stranger did next._

_ He a large paw pull him close to the stranger, and then a gentle tongue began licking the blood off his face. It massaged his temple for a moment before continuing on to tend to the rest of his injuries. Once satisfied, the stranger simply licked up in between his ears for a while, soothing him. "Who are you? Why are doing this?" The licking paused, and there was silence._

_ "I am the leader of this pack." he replied softly. "You are another saber, a child; I am compelled to care for you." The licking resumed._

_ "And if...if you found a wolf, young, helpless, lost, wounded...what would you do then?" The licking continued for a moment._

_ "I have never had any quarrel with wolves. I'd help a youth until I could get them back to their pack." the younger saber sighed in relief, before making himself comfortable as the licking resumed. "Tell me...what is your name?"_

_ "Diego." the teen replied softly, nearly fallen asleep. "What's yours?"_

_ "Soto." was the answering whisper._

* * *

Diego's eyes snapped open. He looked around the campsite as he slowly sat up, before turning to the pile of snow behind himself. He carefully reached out, and brushed some of the snow away. He jerked back at the sight of a saber's skull, saber teeth intact and all. He blinked wide eyes at what remained of the stranger who had willingly saved his life, had given him a home, had been the first saber he'd seen since losing his parents. He lowered his head sadly. "I'm sorry..." he whispered, a lone tear trailing down his cheek, plopping into the snow undetected.

* * *

Well, this was a fun chapter! I've always imagined scenes like that, Diego being rescued by another saber...anyway, hoped you guys liked it! Review!


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello readers! Yes, I have returned, and hopefully this chapter will be longer! The last one wasn't Enjoy and review! By the way, it starts out in Raz's dream.**

* * *

_Inocent Tena_

_ Raz hopped excitedly about the ship, giggling for all she was worth. Squint lunged for her, but she hopped out of his reach at the last moment. He landed face first on the ice deck, causing Raz to giggle even more. Gupta appeared in front of her and held his flute out as she moved left and right, trying to pass him. All other ways blocked, she finally surged forward and leapt over the badger's head, continuing on with a satisfied smirk. A loud, cheery voice exclaiming, "Belly flop!" alerted her of Flynn, as she hastily jumped away, truly afraid this time of being squashed. Gutt sat in the mast, watching the goings on with a smirk, Silas perched on his shoulder. _

_ The bird had learned long ago that it was futile for _him_ to try catching the joey. Try as they might, the pirate crew knew that there was only one of them who could _ever_ catch Raz and bed her down for the night. Shira suddenly appeared and pounced on her daughter, not squishing her into the deck, but hovering over her to the point that she couldn't hop anywhere else. The joey squirmed vainly. "Ah, let me go mum!" Shira chuckled._

_ "I don't think so." she replied, leaning back and embracing Raz. _

_ "Truly we are _unworthy_ parents if we can't simply catch a _little girl_ and put her to bed." Gupta chuckled. Raz glared at him indignantly._

_ "I'm not _little_!" she protested. "I'm just young. Besides, I'm a red roo, and we're tha' biggest of all tha' kangaroos! I'm gonna' be taller than _all_ of ya', even Gutt!" Shira chuckled and nuzzled the joey._

_ "Yes, but even big reds need to sleep. Otherwise they won't get so big."_

_ "Aw, fine."_

* * *

Raz awoke with a smirk, humored by her past times with the crew. She looked around the camp to see that no one else was awake yet. She smiled at Jae, before fondly rubbing her nose against his. His blue eyes opened, surprising her. "Mornin'."

"Mornin' Jae." The two sat up and stretched, before Jae wrapped an arm around Raz and gently nuzzled her cheek with his nose, causing her to giggle. He then gently kissed her nose and pulled her closer, stroking her ears. Raz leaned against him with a smirk. "Ya' know if anyone else was awake they'd tell us ta' get a cave."

"Why do ya' think I'm takin' this rare opportunity?" he whispered back. Jae began gently pressing his nose to Raz's neck, causing the female to giggle.

"Jae, stop it, that tickles!" she muttered, trying not to laugh. "Ye'r gonna' wake everyone up!" But Jae only persisted, and Raz could only giggle like an idiot, squirming around fruitlessly. At last, she was able to twist herself and grab his ear, softly yanking it.

Jae pulled his head back from her neck with an 'Ow!' but was smiling all the same. Raz giggled, then teasingly grabbed Jae's nose and lightly shook it back and forth.

"Hey!" Jae whispered nasally, before gripping Raz's hand and wrenching it off. Before she could make another move however, Jae tilted her chin upwards, and gently pressed his lips to hers. Raz stilled, a calm reverberating through her. She brought one hand up to the back of Jae's head, feeling serene...and loved...and happy. Something in her pouch suddenly gave a jerk, and she pulled back sharply, placing her hands over the joey. "Raz? What's wrong?"

"It...it's nothin' Jae. Mira's just movin' around." Raz replied with a soft smile. The jack seemed to let out a sigh of relief, before placing his own hand on her pouch.

"Mira...where ever did you come up with that?"

"She's a miracle, is she not?" Jae nodded.

"True. She's three months old now...it won't be much longer until we can't hide her." Raz frowned sadly.

"I know. Let's just hope it doesn't take us two months ta' get ta' this 'Stonehenge' place." Raz was thankful when Diego said they had arrived three days later. The band had reached a circle of stone pillars, sets of two linked together by other pillars laid horizontally across their tops. Within the circle appeared to be only grass.

"Well, what now Raz?" Gutt asked. The kangaroo stared at the set up for a moment, imagining Gutt squirming in his skin as he awaited her answer.

"The lullaby talks of tombs...and 'kings' being buried there, but I doubt that would offer us any help. At the end it _does_mention waiting for the sun on a winter's day."

"We are in summer now! We will be stuck here forever! " Gupta interjected.

"That is true." Gutt agreed with a nod.

"It means sundown." All eyes turned to Diego.

"And how do you know that?"

"I know some of the _lesser_known secrets of the Druids."

"But it doesn't even make sense!" Squint objected.

"It's all about opposites." Diego explained. "Winter is the opposite of summer, and day is the opposite of night. A winter's day is a summer's night, and night comes right after sundown." Gutt nodded.

"So we wait for sundown?"

"Yes."

* * *

Shira had run over the entire island, even the half of it that the hyraxes had warned her about, but she couldn't find Diego anywhere. She returned to the cubs now, carrying a fresh carcass. The four balls of energy rushed up and clambered all over their mother, excited to see her after a long day of her absence. She smiled and licked them all in greeting. "Momma, where's daddy?" Dennis asked. Shira winced; Dennis needed Diego if anyone right now. He was to lead after his father was gone, and Diego wanted to prepare him early, even if it was small and gentle nudgings in the right direction.

"Yeah, where is he? I haven't seen him all day!" Rebel inquired.

"Your father...left, for a while." Shira replied sadly.

"Why?"

"I...I don't know. Probably to find new hunting grounds. You know, some new suckers who don't know any of his tricks." Shira added with a smirk and a wink. The cubs giggled.

"I hope he get's back soon." Arilla said. Shira licked her tenderly.

"So do I, sweetheart."

* * *

Diego squirmed anxiously as the sun set. He had to try at least one last ditch effort to save this party. "Gutt, you _have_ to listen to me!" he hissed. "You will _die_! Raz will die, Jae will die, _I_ will die. You are _condemning_ us all!" The ape paid him no attention. "Gutt please, you may be one of the most rotten creatures I've ever met but I'm _willing_to save your soul from what your gambling it for!"

"I lost my soul _long_ ago Diego. Your _pity_does you no good here." Diego sighed, once again glancing over at Raz.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, even though she wasn't even looking at him. He turned his face to the ground in shame, "I'm sorry I couldn't save your family."

"Hey look, there's a beam of light comin' outta' one of the pillars!" Diego's head snapped up at Squint's voice. Indeed, as the sun set, a beam of its light traveled across the grassy clearing towards another pillar.

"Well?" Gutt asked. "_Someone_must know what to do." Diego steeled himself to reply.

"Whichever pillar the beam lands on is the one that stands before the entryway." he said, reiterating his father's words. The group made their way to the pillar that the beam soon shined on, and began feeling it for something. Diego hung back until they had stumped themselves. Once they had cleared away, he stepped forward and laid a paw on the pillar, before lowering his head and taking a deep breath. "_I promised myself...I'd never do this._" He gritted his teeth and drew all four claws in a circle on the right side of the pillar, sparks flying as the first circle was made. Once it was finished, he did the same thing up a little higher in the center of the pillar, making a second circle that overlapped part of the first one.

Then he drew a third circle on the left side of the pillar, below the one in the middle but at the same level as the one on the right. They all overlapped in the center of the pillar, forming an oval like shape, each circle made of four lines. They claw lines suddenly glowed a light blue, and Diego stepped a good yard back from it. The ground just in front of the pillar suddenly caved inwards, revealing a flight of stone stairs. The rest of the party gasped and murmured amongst each other. Diego descended down the stairs, his heart heavy as he remembered the one other time he had gone into this place. The pain nearly consumed him, but he hid it expertly.

* * *

Raz hopped carefully down the steps, unstable using such a human device. The way was long and tiring, and they went deeper into the earth than Raz thought possible. They finally reached a large chamber, hollowed out and the walls covered with mysterious writing that could only be interpreted as writing. She approached one of the walls and reached out to touch one picture in particular that caught her attention. "Don't!" The sharp cry surprised Raz and she jerked back, turning to Diego. He seemed to calm down after a moment.

"It's writing." he explained. "Forewarnings that to continue on is doom." Raz blinked; those words didn't sound like Diego's own.

"So, where is the bounty?" Gutt asked. Diego sighed, and Raz thought she saw a melancholy expression flit across his face.

"It's not here. The Druid's were very thorough." he replied, before leading them onwards and through another tunnel. At the end was another chamber, only this one was dominated by a strange structure on the far wall. Diego halted right in front of it. As Raz approached it she could see a definite shape to the vertical structure; it looked like the face and underside of a sabertooth had been carved into whatever material it was made out of.

"Blimey, what _is_ that?" she asked.

"A sarcophagus." Diego replied.

"A sack-cargo-what?" Jae inquired.

"_Sarcophagus_. The Druids were, in a way, advanced beyond other sabers. They had a form of writing - as you saw earlier - something even the _humans_ don't have. They didn't just bury their dead; they sealed them in a case of rock, deep below the ground. They saw it as protection for their remains, and it was generally considered disrespectful and curse inducing to disrupt the dead from _anyone's_family in their time."

"So this is supposed to be a way of protecting the bounty - placing one of their dead in the path?" Jae suggested. Diego nodded.

"You're pretty smart for a kangaroo." Raz giggled at Jae's indignant pout.

"So how do we get past this sarcastic cargo whatever ya' call it?" Gutt inquired.

"Quite simple." Diego replied. He walked around to the right side of the sarcophagus and raised up on his hind legs, placing his front paws on it. He then commenced pushing it to the side. Once it was fully out of the way, he led them through a rather narrow opening in the wall, single file. Once through, the group fanned out onto a rocky ledge.

"Say, Diego?" Raz asked quietly, catching the saber's attention. "How much would one of those weigh?"

"Eh...fifty pounds, add the weight of the body inside." Raz blinked in shock.

"But...you sabers weigh at most four hundred pounds."

"Hey, it's all muscle." Diego replied. He then smirked and took a few steps forward, examining the next obstacle that lay in their path. "And so begins the torture." he muttered.

* * *

**Interesting, no? Again, this is not a good source for writing a school paper. The interpretation of the song lyrics are my own (which means no one else is to use them without my permission.) Please Review! :) And I would like to say thank you to MBSAVfan1, considering their my only constant reviewer. Come on guys, leave some reviews!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey readers! Finally, something interesting happens in this chapter! ;) Sorry it took me so long to update, I was grounded from using the laptop for a week, but now it's Friday and I can update! Hope ya' like, and plz review!**

* * *

Inocent Tena

Before them was a deep chasm, covered in criss-crossing bridges of rock, some right beside each other, some overlapping, sometimes both. Raz looked over at Diego, waiting along with everyone else for instructions. "So...do we just play eeny-meeny-miny-mo or what?" Jae asked. Diego tilted his head and looked upwards. Raz copied him, observing the thick sheets of ice overhead that the sunlight streamed through.

"Did I mention how imaginative the Druids were?" Diego asked out of the blue.

"Uh, no." Raz replied.

"Well...they were very much so." With that Diego turned and made his way over to the wall they had come through. He took one paw and began brushing away what appeared to be dust or dirt of some sort, and the rest of the crew gathered around. "Let's see now, here we go." he muttered. His brushing paw revealed a large disk embedded in the wall, covered with tons of small, linking parts. At the center was a paw print, dotted with tiny holes. Diego placed his paw into it, then winced, before pulling it back out.

The holes were filled with red liquid now. The red disappeared as the sound of draining was heard, and then the paw print seemed to turn upside down and sink into the disk. Diego shook his paw for a moment, as though relieving it of a small sting, then gave a few licks. Raz thought she glimpsed tiny red pinpricks dotting his pads before he placed it back on the ground. The different tiny parts within the circumference of the disk began to move, until a section of the wall to the right of it swung out to the right like a door. "They were pioneers in mechanics." Diego made his way inside the door.

"And quite good at it." he added.

"Yeah, not even goin' ta' ask what mechanics are." Jae muttered. Inside the door was another flight of stairs, only this time they led upwards. Raz found these ones even harder than the previous set, but nonetheless eventually made it to the top. She looked around at the room they had found themselves in; it was circular, and the right wall was completely missing. She could see they were now high above the chasm, but hadn't crossed over it.

"So, how are we to cross?" Silas asked. Diego walked over to the left wall that was still intact and banged his fist on it. A square block fell out towards him, with a sort of stick-looking device sticking out of it.

"Well, since I've only been here once, we're going to have to use a 'cheat-sheet'." he replied. That startled everyone.

"You...you've _been _here before?" Gutt asked incredulously. Diego wrapped his paw around the device, then paused.

"Just once." With that he pulled the upright stick down and towards himself. Something creaked with disturbing volume outside the hollow, and a fine dust was released from the ceiling and down onto the bridges. Raz shivered and placed her hands protectively on her pouch for a moment.

"What was that?" Squint asked.

"That is our cheat-sheet." Diego replied, before placing a paw underneath the square platform and pushing it back up into the wall. He then lead them back down the stairs and to the shelf once more.

"What did that stick do?" Gupta inquired.

"It's called a lever." Diego replied. "What it put into motion is a long, complicated process that eventually ends with a layer of catnip sprinkled over the correct pathways." Gutt scoffed.

"Catnip, how original." he muttered sarcastically. Raz watched as Diego tentatively stepped out onto the middle bridge (there were three) that connected to their shelf, shifting his weight around on it.

"What are you doin'?" Squint asked.

"Just testing to make sure they haven't weakened over the years. If they have, we'll all die cheat-sheet or no." Raz gripped Jae's hand tightly in fear. "Uh-huh...yep, seems good." Diego announced after a few moments, to the kangaroo's relief. "Now, everyone follow me, and walk only where I walk, or you will end this trip early. _Badly_." Nervously, the pirates plus Jae followed Diego across the many bridges, often flinching from the sound rock creaking under their combined weight, or of small pebbles breaking off and falling into the chasm below.

"Hey, uh, Diego? Exactly how deep is this chasm?" Jae asked halfway through.

"So deep, it's been said bottomless. Of course, that's impossible, but, you'd still have a very long way to fall if you were to slip." Raz gulped.

"How do you know where to go? I see _nothing_on the surface of this rock!" Gupta asked.

"There's a very fine coating of the strongest scented catnip in the world there, I promise. I can smell it easily." Diego replied. It wasn't long before they had all made it safely to the other side, and Raz let out a breath of relief.

"_So far so good. We'll be outta' here soon Mira._" she thought. And hoped. Diego made his way to the next wall, feeling it with his paw.

"Raz, can I borrow your spear for a moment?" he asked. The kangaroo hopped forward and held her weapon out, allowing Diego to take it from her grasp. She stayed close to him, one hand discreetly but protectively placed on her pouch. Diego inserted the tip of the spear into what appeared to be a small hole, then began turning it.

* * *

**Yep, cutting it off there before their next obstacle! What did you think of this one? What do you think is going to happen next? I'm not sure how long it is...Plz review and tell me your thoughts!**


	15. Chapter 15

Inocent Tena

As Diego turned the spear, loud ruckus from overhead yet from the other side of the wall reached the party, frightening them. "Let me guess...more mechanics, right?" Squint asked.

"Yep." Diego replied. He stopped turning the spear, and a large section of the wall swung out to the right; another door. Diego pulled the spear tip out and handed the weapon back to Raz, who gripped it tightly, sliding her hand down the shaft fondly. Diego led them through this much larger doorway and passed the second rock wall, only this side brought horror. There was now a tall, wide, enclosed rock tunnel, with skulls and bones scattered all over the ground, and a few blood smears staining the wall. Raz's eyes widened in horror, but she kept her mouth clamped shut. Jae let out a horrified gasp, taking a protective step in front of Raz.

"What is this place?" he demanded. Diego stared down the tunnel, then sighed.

"What an unfortunate bunch are we." he muttered.

"I'll say! Were tha' Druids monstah' breedin' pioneers 'and quite good at it' as well?" Diego sighed.

"Not _breeders_." he replied. "More like...catchers, trappers, _entombers_ of strange beasts."

"For what? Killin' people for fun?"

"Well, they _did_ have a humorous viewpoint when it came to watching the poor saps who tried to outsmart them."

"Enough with the cryptic words, saber!" Gutt hissed. "What _creature_ did this?" he asked, indicating the bones with one arm. Diego turned to the party.

"They called it..._Mortem timere_."

"What is that?"

"Latin. A language few can speak and even fewer care to. In English, you would call it 'Death of Fear'."

"Seems a little...you know, over descriptive, don't ya' think?" Squint asked.

"You would...until it killed you." Diego replied.

"Let me guess, with fear?" Diego turned back to the tunnel.

"For _some_ people." he replied lowly. A shiver went through Raz.

"So...we're unfortunate because?" she asked.

"Well, this would be a lot simpler if _Mortem timere_ had been here waiting for us."

"_Waitin'_ for us?!"

"Yes, because then all we would have to do is lure it out of the tunnel and into the chasm. Sadly we're going to have to do this the hard way."

"And what _is_ tha' hard way?" Jae inquired.

"It's best if we just cross that bridge when we get there." Diego replied, starting down the tunnel. Nervously, Jae and the pirates followed him, gazing at the bones which piled higher and higher the further they went. The entire tunnel shuddered suddenly, and Diego stopped. He perked his ears, as though trying to listen beyond the rumbling.

"Whoa!" Squint cried out, falling over as the tremors increased.

"Sh!" Diego hissed sharply, laying his ears flat in agitation. The rumbling ceased. He glanced around, ears perking once more. Silence reigned for a moment.

"What are ya' listenin' for?" Raz whispered.

"Breathing." Diego whispered back. "Speaking of which, could you all quiet down?" Raz, terrified of what may happen if she didn't, held her breath and listened as well, closing her eyes. At first all she could hear was Jae, since he was the closest to her. But then she could tune him out and hear the rest of the crew, and soon she could tune them out as well, leaving only silence considering Raz herself wasn't breathing, and she could tell Diego wasn't either by the lack of expanding and contracting movement from his rib cage But then, there was another sound. At first Raz almost dismissed it as Gutt coming into her hearing range again, considering the breathing was deep and grinding like his.

But then she realized it was deeper, even more grinding, and much more _powerful_ than Gutt's. The sound of a colossal beast inhaling and exhaling, right in front of her. She gasped and opened her eyes, startling those around her. "Raz?" Jae asked. "Are you okay?" Raz panted lightly. The breathing of the beast still in her ears.

"I hear it." she whispered. Diego turned to her with wide eyes.

"You can?"

"Yeah."

"Has it stopped?"

"No."

"Good. We're safe for now." With that he continued down the tunnel.

"For now?" Jae squeaked. Nonetheless they all followed the saber further down the tunnel. Raz kept the monster's breathing in her ear as she hopped, conjuring up horrible images in her mind of the creature against her own will. She felt another jerk in her pouch, and shushed her daughter mentally.

"_Stay still Mira_!" she thought. To her surprise it worked. "_Good sheila. I promise, yer' gonna be safe. Don't ya' worry._" They made it a few more miles before Raz lost the breathing. She froze and strained her ears, but all was silent. Well, except for everyone else's breathing. "Diego?" she called. "It stopped." Diego turned to her with wide eyes.

"When?" he asked frantically.

"Just now." A colossal roar suddenly shook the tunnel, scaring poor Raz half to death. She gripped Jae's hand tightly.

"RUN!" Diego yelled. They all took off down the tunnel fearfully, straining to keep up with him. The tunnel suddenly branched, and Diego made to go left, but the appearance of glowing red eyes and sharp teeth, coupled with a ferocious snarl, stopped him in his tracks. "I swear this thing learns from other travelers." Raz heard him mutter. Before she could ask, he sped down the right tunnel, the rest following him. They soon reached a humongous cavern, with a ledge running around the upper level inclined from the entrance.

_Everywhere_ was littered with bones, piles of them dominating the room.

Dread consumed Raz as she gazed around the cavern in horror. Jae wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Squint quivered and hugged her leg. Diego began walking along the edge as another roar echoed around them. "Keep up with me!" he hissed. Raz followed obediently, prying Squint off her leg and carrying him in her arms. The cavern was of monstrous proportion, and down below Raz could see that someone had created a waterhole of some sort.

Four chains of material she wasn't familiar with were attached to one side of the wall, but lay limp on the ground, as though they had once served a purpose... "Now everyone be absolutely still, and don't make a sound." Diego whispered as they all came to a stop. Raz pressed herself to the wall fearfully, clutching Squint against her chest. She felt Jae embrace her from behind, and held his hand tightly in hers. Mira gave another jerk, as though sensing her uneasiness.

"_Please calm down Mira!_" A loud screech suddenly pierced Raz's ears, and she hunkered down slightly with a gasp. A few moments of silence, then a resounding thump from below that shook the entire cavern. Another roar reverberated through the air. Raz dared to peek over the edge, but what she saw horrified her. Down below, pacing angrily and snarling to itself, was a horrifying beast, the type that little children have in their nightmares, or they peak past each side of their den at night to make sure aren't lurking around. A monster that made Raz clutch her pouch tightly and think of her daughter's safety against this _and_ Gutt.

It had the body of a feline, but was the length of three adult mammoth males, tall as a mammoth male, and its fur was pure white. It sported two wickedly sized saber fangs, and bull horns of worthy proportions to the rest of the body. Glowing red eyes gleamed from beneath surprisingly black brows. But the most terrifying thing, Raz thought, was the tail of the beast. It curved up and poised over the creature's back, a deadly stinger tipping it. A scorpion tail. "Where did this..._creature_ come from?" she asked.

"Only one of the original Druids knows that. He refused to reveal the location to any other." Diego replied.

"So, how do we stop this thing? And what exactly is our safe zone?" Jae whispered.

"It can only leap as high as the entrance, so as long as we stay on this incline and out of paw's reach, we'll be safe."

"Um, okay, _yeah_, that's great and all, but how do we _kill_ it?" Squint asked. "Do we just stab it in its sleep or what?"

"We could try that, but the _Mortem timere_ only sleeps for one hour every fifty-two days. Plus I would think all of the apparent _failures_, most of which are probably due to that tactic, would discourage you." Diego replied, indicating the thousands upon thousands of bones with a sweep of his paw. Squint shuddered.

"What's your call, saber?" Gutt called from the back of the line. Diego turned back and stared pensively at the _Mortem timere_, before his eyes lit up with a spark. Immediately though they darkened, and Diego closed them with a sigh.

"I promised..." Raz heard him mutter. He looked up at her with a piercing gaze, filled with few emotions she understood, and many she could not. "I have a plan." he said lowly, with a voice so full of regret, Raz didn't want him to go through with whatever plan he had in mind.

* * *

**Yeah, I decided not to be ****_that_**** mean to ya'll as making you wait another day or two. So I hope your grateful! Plz Review! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Inocent Tena

"Wait." Raz said. "I'll try ta' distract it. The rest of ya' go on and I'll catch up." With that she set Squint down and began moving her way down the line past the rest of the crew.

"Raz, _no_!" but the combined cry of her brother, jack, and adoptive father couldn't dissuade her.

"_I swear Mira; I'll get us all out of here. Don't ya' worry._" she thought as she approached the tunnel entrance. She stopped next to it, then gave a shout. "Hey you! Big ugly brute!" That seemed enough. The beast gave a roar and charged up to her. Raz gripped her spear and pulled her arm back, before launching it through the air at the beast.

The tip up through the middle of the shaft of the spear sunk itself into the _Mortem timere's_ right eye, causing it to stop short and rear up on its hind legs with a pained screech. Raz gave a small smirk, thinking herself victorious. However, the great monster brought itself back down with a loud and forceful slam, knocking the kangaroo off balance so that she tottered dangerously close to falling off the edge. She gasped as it lunged for her, left eye blazing angrily like flames consuming a forest, maw gaping wide to snap around her. Just when she thought all hope was lost for her daughter (rather than herself) she felt a pair of hands grab her arms and pull her back mere centimeters from the _Mortem timere's_jaws. Time seemed to slow drastically as her mindset shifted over from the fear of an assured death to the hope of her daughter's future. The monstrously sized teeth snapped through the air just in front of her with tremendous volume; humongous white fangs interlocking with each other and gleaming dangerously.

A loud, long, desperate cry of '_NO_!' seemed hazy and in the background of Raz's concentration as she stared at what would have been her death, while registering the fact that it was the hands of another kangaroo, of Jae, that were now dragging her up the rocky incline, and to the safety of the small shelf where the rest of the questers resided. She blinked at the humongous beast now a few feet away from her, realizing what a failed mission she had almost gone through with. Time suddenly sped up, and Raz realized that she and Jae weren't moving very fast (since he was practically dragging her) and the _Mortem timere_was preparing to snap at the pair. Her mate's voice was loud and clear, and panicked. "Raz? Raz can you hear me? Please, if you fainted wake up!"

He shook her roughly. Raz spun around, freeing her arms, and began pushing Jae up the incline. "I'm fine! Go on, move it!" she shrieked. The two kangaroos hopped up the incline with lightning speed, but Raz was just slightly too far behind. She winced and let out a cry of pain ans something huge and sharp clawed at her back for but a moment, yet it was a painful and excruciating moment to poor Raz. She didn't dare look back at the creature, but rather allowed Jae to once again grab her arms and drag her up to safety.

Once back with the rest of the group, she sat down and slumped over, moaning in pain at the stinging of her back. Squint shoved his way to her, patting her arm gently before squeezing past her to get a look at her back. Jae crouched beside her and held her hands gently, shushing her. "Well...considering all the things that _could_ have happened, you're very lucky Raz. _Very_lucky." Squint said after a few moments.

Raz ground her teeth. "Just tell me tha' damage, Squint."

"It's not _that_bad, honest. Just a big scratch, really."

"_How_big?"

"Uh...from in between yer' shoulder blades down to yer' lower back." Squint replied sheepishly. Raz sighed. Jae gently raised her chin so that her golden eyes met his light blue orbs.

"Raz...don't ya' _evah_' do somethin' like that again." he said quietly, his voice pleading but firm.

"Is she alright?" Raz heard Diego's voice call. She shifted her gaze to his and sent him a small smirk. He nodded, his face relieved. The kangaroo slowly, jerkily, rose to her feet with the help of Jae. The _Mortem timere_another screech of dissatisfaction, bucking itself around the cavern and pawing at its eye. Which, to Raz's disgust, only seemed to jam the spear in further. She leaned on Jae, still weak from her injury.

"I suppose we'll follow through with the _saber's_plan now?" Gutt asked. Raz shot him a small glare.

"He has a _name_ya' know." she muttered. Diego waited a moment before speaking.

"Obviously one of us can't face it alone. We have to work together. If you all can drive it towards the wall across from us, I can get the chains around it."

"Seven to distract the beast and _one_to tie it up." Silas commented suspiciously.

"Trust me, it'll work." Diego assured. Yet Raz saw a melancholy, grim look in his eyes once again, and truly wondered if Diego's plan was best. She discreetly pressed a hand to her pouch, thinking again of Mira. If it didn't bode well for _him_, what would it mean for her daughter?

"What do we do?" she asked seriously. Jae held her tightly, as though concerned for her well being. Okay, in all honesty, there was. no 'as if' concerning that.

"You lot edge around to the other side, and draw its attention. Once it's close enough to the wall, I'll chain it. Once I do that, get to the tunnel as fast as you can, and I'll follow." Raz gave a nod of assent. She and Jae were the first to pass him and make their way around to the other side. Jae gripped her hand tightly, and Raz couldn't help but do likewise; to come face to face with a creature such as the _Mortem timere_was not an experience she'd like to repeat. The said beast was now laying on the ground, moaning, wailing, pressing its face into the dirt in hopes of relieving the pain.

Such a sight brought out Raz's pity; an unsightly creature as it was, this beast had been captured an entombed underground, in this dangerous place, only roaming as far as the tunnels it could fit into. It clearly had no shortage of food, as the skeletal remains that covered the ground indicated; but surely it was lonely, and probably often became bored when no one came to slay it and make off with the Druid's bounty. What a lonely, crummy existence it led. It almost seemed merciful to kill the _Mortem timere_, but that task seemed impossible. It wasn't long before the entire crew plus Jae had positioned themselves right above the chains on the wall, and then Raz herself commenced the distraction. "Hey!" she called sharply. The creature paused in its pain wallowing and looked up at her.

"You call yer'self a monstah'? Ya' barely scratched me up!"

"Well, actually-" Squint tried to interrupt.

"How about ya' come up here and show me what ya' can do!"

"Do it and you'll die anyway!" Jae called out halfheartedly, practically hovering over her.

"You just _try_ and come get her!" Squint yelled, putting up his fists and making a few mock jabs. "We'll teach ya' what it means to mess with pirates!" The _Mortem timere_snarled fiercely at them, before standing and making its way over. Jae pushed Raz back from the edge, giving her a nervous look. The pirates continued shouting insults, drawing the creature closer and closer to the chains. Raz's eyes flicked between the monster and Diego, waiting to see what his move would be. He raised his front paws in their direction, to her great confusion.

The _Mortem timere_ leaped for them, its claws barely reaching the edge of their shelf. "Diego?" she called nervously. He'd said they'd be safe up here, but the beast looked so close to them..."Any time now!" Raz stared down at the _Mortem timere_, fervently willing them to spring to life and capture the beast. How else was it to be caught? So of course she was shocked when they did just that.

The four chains suddenly lifted themselves into the air, slowly, tentatively, their loose ends pointing at the _Mortem timere_ and hovering, like snakes waiting to strike. "What tha'-?" she muttered. Then, moving as one, they all shot forward and wrapped around the _Mortem timere's_ throat, going round and round, tightening savagely. She almost winced. The creature let out another roar and thrashed about, standing on its hind legs and grabbing at the chains. Once satisfied, the chains convened in front of its windpipe and tied themselves into a knot, insuring the beast would escape anytime soon. The _Mortem timere_screeched with ice-shattering volume, hopping slightly back and continuing to pull at its bonds in vain.

At last it fell on its side with a resounding bang, shaking the whole cavern even worse than before. Chucks of rock and earth began falling from the ceiling, some of them landing on the creature and furthering its misery. The screeches were almost unbearable now, causing Raz to wince. She looked over towards Diego, to see him frantically gesturing for them to come in his direction, his mouth moving as though he was trying to shout. However, even with her hearing, Raz could tell a word he was saying. But she got the general message: RUN OR DIE. She grabbed Jae's hand and began pulling him along the ledge, picking Squint up and cradling him against her chest.

"COME ON!" she shouted to the rest. They made their way across the ledge as fast as they could, considering they were constantly in danger of being crushed and the ledge refused to stay still. At last they met up with Diego, who led them to the entrance tunnel and away from the danger. She could still hear the rumbling by the time they came back to the fork and took the right tunnel. They made it a few meters inside before stopping to rest, leaning against the wall of sitting down and panting. For a while, no one said anything, too stunned that they had survived and too out of breath to speak. At least, that was Raz's case.

At last, she looked up at Diego from her place in Jae's arms, leaning against the tunnel wall. Her expression contorted into a firm one, and she hopped pointedly up to the sitting saber. "Diego." His green eyes met her golden ones. "I want an explanation. For everythin'. We all do. _Now._"

* * *

**Yeah, just figured I'd get this out of the way since tomorrow's Sunday. So what did you guys think?**


	17. Chapter 17

Inocent Tena

The saber lowered his head with a shamed look in his eyes, and turned away. Raz felt the same pity from before begin to well up in her chest, but mentally shook the feelings off. _She_, if no one else, deserved to know what he had been hiding. He was her adoptive father after all; and so far she thought he could do with some improvement. He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I...I never thought it would come to this. I thought I'd fixed everything, left all this behind."

"Ya' gotta' be a little more specific than that." Raz felt Jae's presence beside her, and allowed his hand to envelope hers. Diego was silent for a moment more.

"My story doesn't start out very brightly. In fact...you might even say that the ending is bittersweet." Silence stretched once more, and Raz felt compelled to give him a little mercy.

"Tell us the story, Diego." she encouraged gently. The saber turned back to them after a moment.

"My father...was skilled in what you would call 'magic'."

"But magic is just science we don't understand." Raz interjected. Diego nodded.

"Exactly. He explained it as my family having the ability to will molecules to do our bidding."

"Molecules?" Jae questioned confusedly.

"Tiny particles - never mind." Diego replied.

"So wait - ya' mean ya' remember yer', _real_ saber dad?" Diego nodded.

"I knew him for a little while before he...passed on. It was only a few short months, but he gave me a lot of knowledge. The thing was...I saw how using that knowledge wrongly could lead to a bad ending. So...when I was adopted into my wolf pack, I refused to practice it. I thought I might make the same mistakes as he did. So I focused more on learning the wolves' ways so I could fit in, and belong to the pack. I was still different though, there were those who saw me as a stranger rather than a fellow pack member, ones who gossiped about the severity and cruelty of my kind to affect me."

Silence again. Raz placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." she whispered. Diego gave her a small smile.

"It's alright Raz. I was never really sure whether telling anyone would be a good idea." Raz smiled back.

"As important as sentimental moments between family members are," Gutt's voice interrupted irritatingly. "we have a mission to complete, and Diego I believe is leading us through this tunnel." Raz gritted her teeth angrily, and would have spun around to shut the primate up, had it not been for Mira giving another wriggle/jerk in her pouch, reminding her who she had to protect. Not to mention she had discarded the only weapon with her in fighting the _Mortem timere_, and Gutt had brought along his favorite swordfish sword with him. The image of the creature still made her shiver. Diego placed a caring paw on her arm, shooting her a gaze that said, 'Can I do anything?' Raz shook her head, and stood properly.

"Lead on, Diego." she said. The saber nodded and stood, continuing down the tunnel. Raz hopped after him, Jae sticking close to her side. And yet, even with the whole magic incident resolved, she still felt as though there was something she didn't know that she ought to. That they all ought to.

* * *

Diego roiled internally with emotion as they continued down the proper tunnel, ashamed that he couldn't admit the whole truth. "_I'm just trying to protect her._" he tried to convince himself. "_If she knew...it would just be bad._" This tunnel was much longer, and Diego knew it had been a long day. The sun was beginning to set through the ice ceiling, and he knew they needed a break to sleep. Plus he needed the veil of night. He stopped abruptly and turned to the crew.

"We'll stop here for the night." he stated decisively. Then, out of habit added, "And no buts." He laid over next to the tunnel wall, keeping his eyes cracked open to watch the rest of the party settle down. His gaze lingered on Raz and Jae; he couldn't help it, he was worried for her with the joey and all. That was why he had chosen her; not only did he care for her, but he trusted her the most out of his entire company. Once he was sure all were asleep, he rose and turned to face the wall, knocking softly on it three times. A draw slid out automatically, and he lifted out a bag made out of stitched leaves as well as a large, human knife.

He turned back to the sleeping mammals one last time, before making his way a few meters further down the tunnel. By now the pale moonlight illuminated his fur with a ghostly white sheen. Setting the bag aside, he held the tip of the knife against his throat, breathing deeply. This took precision and timing, and immense self-control. He gripped the handle tightly, regretting ever daring to explore that side of the island.

* * *

Raz was gently shaken awake by a paw, opening her bleary eyes to squint up at the dark, silhouetted figure before her in the predawn light. "Wha-?"

"Raz, listen." Diego's voice whispered weakly. Her eyes widened worriedly.

"Diego? Are ya' alright?" Diego coughed gently.

"Yes, I'm fine. But listen," he coughed again, taking a moment to pant softly. "You have to go on ahead and open the door."

"Door?" she asked confusedly, peering at him. Diego grunted for a moment.

"Yes." he pressed something into her hand. "This is Druid blood." he whispered. "It's the only way to open the door, you have to fill each hole completely but not overfill, otherwise you'll run out, it has to be very precise. Raz sat up in horror, clutching the bag in her hand but holding it away from herself.

"W-where did ya' _get_ this?" she asked confusedly.

"I always carry Druid blood with me. And it will haunt me for the rest of my life." Diego took another moment to breathe, but Raz didn't get a chance to question him any further. He pushed/pulled her to her feet. "Now go! The door is at the very end of this tunnel, you can't miss it! We've almost reached it anyway."

"You _have_ to reach it before Gutt." he insisted.

"Why?" Diego fell silent once more, softly panting as though he had sustained rather nasty injury.

"Because I _know_ you'll make the right choice. And I also know Gutt _won't_."

"Right _choice_?"

"The door has two possible ways it leads to; you can either exit this place and go back above ground where we belong, or you can go to the treasury." Raz stiffened. Treasury. That was what Gutt wanted. "If Gutt can get us into that room..."

"We'll nevah' get outta' here." Raz whispered. Diego gave her a gentle push.

"Go, _now_." he said. "I'm trying to save you, _all_ of you. I'm trying to save Mira." At the mention of her daughter, Raz's hand flew to her pouch, resting over where the joey resided. "Go." Diego whispered, his voice weak and pleading. Raz's eyes flicked to him once more.

"Diego, are ya' _sure_ yer' alright?"

"Yes Raz. _Please_. Just go." he pleaded weakly. The kangaroo placed her hand gently on the saber's head, before turning and hopping down the tunnel. She gauged the time passing by the sun's light streaming in through the ice, and was surprised to find that the door was farther away than she had expected. She sat down and faced the door once she reached it, which was about noontime. Her stomach gurgled and she rubbed her pouch fondly, looking down at it with soft eyes.

She hadn't eaten much the day before, and she knew Mira would be low on milk. If she herself didn't get out of this place soon, Mira would die from starvation before anything else. She looked up at the door, marveling at its magnificence. It was a tall, _wooden_ door, surprisingly, embedded in the rock securely and formidably. One side, the left one, had a picture of an elegantly carved sun, dominating the entire half. She assumed _that_ was the way out. The right half was decorated by a mountain of lumps, which Raz could only assume were fruits.

Her gaze traveled down to the bottom of the doors, at her level. There was a small shelf sticking out, with a small hole (about the size of a claw mark from one of her hind feet) drilled into it. It appeared to be the only hole, so she carefully opened the bag and tipped it downwards, allowing the thick red liquid to spill into the it. Her lips puckered at the foul stench, and she turned her face away as she began to feel queasy. However, remembering Diego's instructions, she quickly jerked the leaf sack upwards to stop the flow, afraid she would pour too much. Nothing happened. Tentatively, she tipped the sack down once more, allowing a single drop to fall. It plopped into the rest of the blood, very quietly, and then things began to move.

The shelf creaked and gave a jerk, causing Raz to jump in surprise. She watched it rotate so that the single hole went inside the door, and a larger shelf with a design of holes came into view. It creaked to a stop in front of her. There seemed to be four sets of six circles carved into the wood, vertically, but only a select number of them were drilled holes. In the first set, only the last hole was drilled in, so she gently tipped the bag over and filled it. In the second set, only three of the holes were drilled in, making an arrow formation that pointed to the right. This startled her at first, thinking it might mean that filling it in would open the right side to the treasury.

But seeing as there was nothing to confirm such suspicions, she filled them in anyway. The third set had three drilled in as well, only in a different formation. The first was drilled in, and then the third one in its column below it was as well, and the last drilled hole was the sixth one. Raz filled them in cautiously, careful to make sure none were too empty or too full. The fourth and last set contained holes drilled in another formation. The bottom two from the first column were drilled in, and then also were the top two from the second column. She took careful precision in filling them, still nervous and hoping she did everything correctly.

Once she was finished, the shelf creaked and began turning once more, only not surprising her this time. The new shelf was much clearer, and provided the way out. There was a divider line carved down the middle, clearly stating that to fill in the left side would open the left half and provide the way out. The holes were surprisingly easy; two simple holes on either side, the same size as the very first one. Peeking reluctantly inside the back, she say that that was all she had left. She looked back at the shelf and smiled; she could fix what Gutt had gotten them into, could get them all back to where they belonged; _out_ of this place. But before she could fill in that last hole, before she could secure her daughter's future, before she could complete the mission her adoptive father had given her, a low pitched, gravely voice pierced the air in the way only one animal could.

"Now now Raz, you _know_ which side leads to the bounty." The kangaroo froze, then spun around to face Gutt, clutching the remaining blood fearfully. The ape grinned cruelly at her, a malicious glint in his eyes as he leaned on his sword. Raz noticed with confusion that Diego was slung over his shoulder, his head facing Raz but his eyes closed. Why was he so weak? She glanced over at Jae, who stood a few feet from Gutt with a sour scowl on his face.

"Jae?...What's wrong with Diego?" she asked timidly. Gutt chuckled.

"I'm surprised you don't know." the ape sneered. Before anyone could stop him, he shrugged his shoulder and let Diego fall unceremoniously to the ground, landing harshly on his back and letting out a grunt crossed with a cry of surprise and pain. Raz gave an almost silent gasp, her caring, feminine nature bursting forth at such misery. It didn't show itself often, but every now and then, normally when one of the crew was hurt, she would be the one to tend to whatever injury they had sustained. But she didn't know how bad off he was. She then noticed bruises dotting his strong, sleek form as he weakly rolled himself over, eyes cracking open. He coughed, barely managing to get into a slouched sitting position.

Jae hopped forward and held him up, his face gone from angry to compassionate. Diego panted softly, wincing in agony. Squint silently stepped up as well, in between Gutt and Diego, placing his tiny hand on the saber's back. He and Jae seemed to be the only ones who looked as though they had witnessed a harsh beating of an innocent child, while the rest of the crew was smiling maliciously and chuckling at the spectacle. Raz pursed her lips angrily, although she still felt butterflies churning in her stomach. "Gutt." she said lowly. "_What's. Wrong. With. Him?_"

"Oh nothing technically." the primate replied. "After all, he just getting your-" Gutt suddenly grabbed Diego scruff and lifted him swiftly into the air, holding his sword against the saber's throat. Diego merely whimpered and cowered under the ape's gaze, clearly too weak to even consider putting up a fight. "key." Gutt finished. But Raz barely heard him; her attention was too focused on the injury so clearly displayed before her. A long, wide, dark crimson scab ran from just under Diego's chin all the way to just below his stomach. It appeared to have only recently hardened, and she then noticed how pale Diego's face was.

As much as it horrified her, she had to admit it; this made sense. The blood was..._his_. He had given up his own life liquid so that Raz could open the door and let them all out to safety. But more importantly; he was a direct descendant of the Druids.

* * *

**Oooh, this is getting interesting now, eh? Plz review and tell me all of your thoughts in detail!**


	18. Chapter 18

Inocent Tena

Raz stared back at Diego incredulously. Despite her feelings of shock and - almost, in a way - betrayal, she could see past them to the painful expression on her adoptive father's face. His eyes narrow slits and filled with pain, while his teeth clenched to keep from making any agonized noises, his entire body tense. While she had to question why he had never told her, or Shira for that matter, she had to save him. Pushing everything aside, she glared at Gutt heatedly, clenching her fists. "Gutt, ya' sadistic, malicious-" Raz cut herself off before she said something she regretted. "You put tha' sabah' down this instant before I-"

"Before you what, Raz?" Gutt interrupted, squeezing the saber's scruff tighter. "You have no weapon, and I am in the perfect position to end this miserable little kitty's existence." The ape's smirk irritated Raz to no end, but she had to admit he was right. Diego coughed again, his hind legs wobbling as his hind paws could still touch the ground completely.

"Raz," he croaked weakly. "Please, I gave up all that so you could save us. Please don't waste my blood. Don't listen to Gutt." Raz's eyes flickered between the faces of Gutt and Diego, indecisive as to what action she should take. She finally glanced over at Jae, whose eyes were at a loss. Squint was no help either.

Raz stared at the ground for a moment, Mira weighing heavily on her mind. She finally sighed and looked straight into Diego's eyes. "I'm sorry tigah'." she whispered. "But I can't let him just kill ya'." With that, she morosely turned back to the shelf, and began filling in the hole on the right side of the divider line.

"No!" No sooner had she finished filling the hole, Raz's ears picked up a loud smack, as though something had quickly and roughly come into contact with the rock wall. She spun around, but Gutt's hairy hand grabbed her arm and pulled her slightly to the side of the door, holding her in place. Her attention turned back to him as she struggled, eventually landing a solid sock to his jaw and jumping out of his reach. She turned again to see Diego laying in a weak, crumpled heap on the floor, obviously having been the thing that smacked the wall a moment ago, his bruises full flare in purple, black and blue, not moving. As one, it seemed, Raz, Jae, and Squint made their way to him and crowded around the saber. She gently cradled his head, afraid what the extent of the damage was.

"Diego?" she asked nervously. He didn't reply. Jae held two fingers against his neck, pressing desperately for a pulse. When five seconds passed and he didn't show any signs of finding one, the jill assumed the worst. She disregarded the immense creaking noise and shaking of the ground as she turned to Gutt with an inflamed glare shining profusely in her golden eyes. "You..." She shook with rage. "You, killed him!" she shouted.

Gutt displayed indifference, while a collective celebratory sneer came up from the rest of the pirates minus Squint. "He has a family! What about Shira? What about his cubs! Ya' think ya' can just kill someone off and no one in tha' world will care? No one's lives will suddenly stop for that one, agonizing moment when they realize that someone dear ta' them is gone forever?!" she nearly screamed. Jae suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

"Pulse! I've got one!" Raz whipped around and searched the saber's face with her eyes. Then she saw the slight movement from his nostrils; breathing. She sighed in relief and kneeled beside him, once again cradling his head gently. The huge rumbling continued, knocking some of the pirates off their feet. The right half of the door slowly began to swing inwards, wood grating on stone.

Raz turned her eyes to Jae's. "What happened while I was gone?" she whispered. Jae's countenance when from excited to sad.

"Gutt woke us all up; he had only feigned sleep and told us that Diego had sent ya' on ta' open tha' door. He tried to stop Gutt from comin' after ya', but...tha' blood loss...he was too weak. Gutt just beat him up and smacked him around a couple of times, hence tha' bruises." Raz winced. "I'm sorry Raz, I know he's a dad of...some sort ta' you, and, I'd hate ta' see either of mah' parents like this..." Raz sighed.

"It's alright, Jae." The jack didn't reply for a moment.

"But..I could have helped him. I just stood there numbly and watched, I was too afraid..." Raz placed a gentle hand over her mate's, causing him to look back at her.

"Jae. It's alright." she whispered.

"Alright, moving on!" Gutt's voice boomed. Raz rounded on him swiftly with a burning glare. "The door is open, and I'm not waiting for it to close." He then calmly walked on, the rest of the pirates following him. Raz nodded to Jae, and the two kangaroos hefted Diego up as gently as possible, Squint even pitching in and supporting the middle of the unconscious saber's back. They carried him carefully through the doorway, flinching as it closed sharply behind them. Thankfully, the sun now fully shone through the ice ceiling and illuminated the new passage for them.

They soon caught up with the rest of the crew, who had stopped short to stare at something in awe. The three made sure Diego was laid comfortably on a flat stone slab before turning to stare, open-mouthed, as well. Before them, stood in all their glory and splendor, ridiculously high mountains of every fruit imaginable, many Raz didn't recognize. She gazed around the cavern in wonder, suddenly realizing why anyone might find it possibly worth the risk to steal the Druids' treasure. "Amazin'." she breathed. She glanced over at Gutt, who was staring at the bounty with a smug smirk and a satisfied look in his eyes.

Her heart jittered nervously, thoughts of Mira flitting through her head. Then she realized something that dropped a stone of dread in her chest; the treasury was a dead end. They were trapped unless they could reopen the door, an act which Raz had a sneaky suspicion wasn't possible. "At least, me harties." Gutt growled in pleasure. "DIG IN! Grab as much as ya' can!" The pirates let out celebratory yells and did as commanded with no prompting.

Squint walked up and stood beside Raz, watching the rest of his shipmates. He glanced up at her cautiously, and the kangaroo saw fear in his eyes; he felt something ominous about this place, even if Diego hadn't told him anything. She laid a hand on his head, glancing around nervously. "Uh, Gutt?"

"Yes Raz?"

"Did it occur ta' ya' that we're stuck in here?" she asked. Gutt waved the comment off.

"We'll get out, Raz." He smirked at her viciously, before striding over and whispering in her ear. "You have a chance yet to raise that little hairless ball." Raz shuddered internally, before she felt Squint hop up on her shoulder and glanced over to see him brandishing his small knife in Gutt's face.

"Back off, monkey." he sneered. Gutt scoffed and rolled his eyes, but took a step back all the same. Raz turned back and hopped to Diego and Jae, kneeling down beside her adoptive father once more.

She held his head and whispered, "Diego? Diego, can ya' hear me?" The saber stirred and gave a moan. "Diego?" His green eyes flickered open, glancing around for a moment before settling on her face.

"Raz?" he whispered. "Wha...where are we?"

"Tha' treasury." Diego cringed. "I'm sorry, I just...you were hurt enough. I didn't want Gutt ta' do anythin' else ta' ya'."

"Sh, sh, it's alright." Diego croaked.

"But it's a dead end!" The saber shook his head.

"No, it's not." Three pairs of eyes widened.

"It's not?" Squint asked.

"No. There's a doorway, very hard to spot, in the back of the cavern that leads back up." There was a collective blink.

"So wait a minute." Raz said, holding her hands up. "Ya' mean I was so worried about openin' tha' left door cause it was our only way out, and now ya' tell me we can get out eithah' way?"

"Technically, yes." Diego said weakly, before coughing harshly.

"Jae, find him some water." Raz whispered. The jack nodded and hopped off, soon returning with his cupped hands full of water. Raz managed to lift the saber's upper half enough so that Jae could tip the water into his mouth. She then laid him back down, stroking one of his ears gently.

"What do ya' mean technically?" Squint asked.

"There is a way back up to the surface from here." Diego answered, his voice weak and eyes half closed. "But if we had gone left, the way would have been much easier."

"What's so much harder about this one?" Raz asked gently. Diego panted softly for a moment, eyes slightly fearful.

"This is what I tried so hard to avoid." he whispered.

"What is it Diego?" The saber sighed.

"My real father...his name was Aurelio. The one who taught me magic. As you have guessed, yes, he was one of the original Druids. He told me...about their last plan." Diego coughed again for a moment. "The things they did...in general, were, if not 'advanced', then insane and quite horrible. That was why everyone despised them."

"Even I felt ashamed of my father's actions. But back to the point," he gave another cough. "the last thing they wanted to do was conduct what they called an 'experiment'. They wanted to test themselves, and other sabers, to see if it was possible for them to be trained to eat plants should there ever be a shortage of meat. Of course, once other sabers nearby got wind of this, they organized a revolt, if you could call it that. They stormed this hideout and tried to kill every Druid, including their mates and children. My father and I were ahead of the group, so he was able to get me to safety."

"There's a natural chasm in the way of our tunnel back up, probably formed from some earthquake. Anyway, I got across, but as soon as I was safe, the bridge collapsed..." He trailed off, staring into space.

* * *

Diego landed on solid ground and turned back to see his father on the other side of the rickety rope bridge they had made. The group his father belonged to had only recently started working with wood and rope, so their little rope and plank bridge across the chasm wasn't much to look at. But it had gotten the five month old across, and he could only hope it allowed Aurelio across as well. "Come on daddy!" he encouraged. The mob was coming down the tunnel fast, shouting about one thing or another that Diego didn't dare try to understand. The rest of the group was behind Aurelio now, all nervous and trying to get him onto the bridge. He glanced back nervously, before starting across.

Diego paced anxiously, eyes trained on his only parent left. He whimpered as his father suddenly tripped, the rope bridge slowly tearing apart. "Daddy!"

"I'm coming, Diego!" Aurelio replied. "Don't worry." He was halfway across the bridge now, and the rest of his group were packed behind him as the mob came completely into view, roaring and shouting, some carrying torches in their mouths. The cub's eyes widened in horror, his tiny tail tucking between his legs. He whimpered again.

"Daddy!" No sooner had he spoken the words did the bridge suddenly collapsed completely, disappearing down into the chasm's depths. Terrified wails rose up as it plummeted, piercing the cub's ears. He leaned over the edge as far he dared, eyes wide with shock and horror. He stared down at the shrinking adult, heart clenching as the he realized he was an orphan. "No! DADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Y!" he screamed.

All fell silent.

* * *

Diego blinked his eyes for a few moments, as though coming back to the present. He looked up at Raz morosely. The kangaroo then did something no one else had; not even Sid. She laid a gentle hand right on top of his hand and rubbed fondly. The saber closed his eyes for a moment and smiled, grateful for the comfort. "So wait...you don't wanna' come here because of traumatizing memories?" Squint asked. The saber leveled a glare at him.

"I mean I totally understand not wantin' to remember 'em and all, but don't ya' think you could have told just told us that was all that's bothering you?" Diego sighed heavily, before letting loose another round of coughs.

"That's not what's bothering me!" he snapped weakly, then frowned. "Although, it doesn't make me feel too good to recall it. But that's not the main problem. The Druid's swore to haunt their hideout if they were killed in it, and I wouldn't blame 'em if they considered the mob their killers." Squint gulped, now looking frightened beyond compare.

"Wait...you mean we're dealing with...ghosts?" he asked, trembling, his voice wavering.

* * *

**Well, that was a nice cliffhanger, wasn't it? Thank you to MBSAVfan1 and mwang for reviewing the last chapter! Plz review those who read this one! **


	19. Chapter 19

Inocent Tena

"Technically, in a way." the saber replied hoarsely. "We just have to be careful crossing."

"And how exactly are we gonna' cross?" Raz asked.

"Leave that to me. Just get Gutt's attention." Diego replied. Raz nodded, then turned to her companions.

"Squint, stay here and watch him. Jae, get him some more watah'." She turned to glare at Gutt. "I'll handle tha' monkey." With that she began hopping over to the ape, who was currently checking out a large pile of bananas, leaning forwards on his sword. "Ahem." Gutt turned to her.

"Yes, Raz?" he asked exasperatedly. The jill folded her arms indignantly.

"Gutt, since you've been so careless with our _entrance_ to this place, Diego has gone to the trouble of telling me about a way out of this cavern." Gutt smiled.

"Ah, wonderful. Tell him we'll be ready to go very soon, he can lead us there." Raz blinked. Then the fires of fury consumed her golden eyes.

"_Lead_ us?!" she sputtered. "Ya' nearly _killed_ him, _he_ could have killed _himself_, and ya' think he can just up and walk some more after everything we've seen in this place?" she demanded. Gutt waited for a moment before answering.

"Maybe he can't. Maybe he's too taxed. Even I can see that." He turned to the kangaroo, who felt utmost confusion at his answer. "But...I _know_ he wants to."

"Wha-?"

"It's what a father does, Raz. He takes care of the family at all costs. And if he's not close enough to take care of the family, well then he uses all his willpower to get back where he belongs. Where he's needed the most." Raz's mind flashed back to their first night after landing.

_ She glanced back at Diego, staring for a moment at his sleeping form, his paws savagely tied to the branch. Looking to make sure no one else was watching her, she quickly but carefully loosened the vines around his ankles so that his paws would stop turning purple. He shifted his head, letting out a murmur, causing Raz to flinch. "Shira...I'm coming Shira." His voice was soft, his lips barely moved, but Raz felt her heart clench at the amount of longing in his voice._

She turned back to the battered saber, laying on his rock slab, struggling to drink more water from Jae. It made her heart clench once more as she realized how right Gutt was; Diego _wanted_ to get back to Shira. He _wanted_ to see his cubs, they'd be almost a year old by now. He wanted to go home. Her mouth formed a grim line as another thought hit her; she wanted to go home as well, and she wouldn't do it without Diego. Even if it killed him. "Are ya' ready yet, Gutt?" she asked lowly.

"Almost." he replied nonchalantly. Raz waited only a few more minutes before Gutt and the crew announced themselves ready to move on. She and Jae prepared to carry Diego once more, but the saber refused, standing up wobbily. Raz allowed him to lean against her as they went, placing a hand in between his shoulders. After a time (made longer than it should have been by the fact that the lead saber was limping) they reached a large crack in a dead end wall.

"So like...where's this doorway you told us about?" Squint asked. Diego made his way over to the wall with Raz's help, and using strength that made the kangaroo wonder where he stored it, stood up on his hind feet and pressed his front paws to the rock wall. He centered them over the slightly diagonal crack, bowed his head with closed eyes, and then began muttering quietly.

Raz's ears barely caught the strange words, "_Plerique nescio quid ... ostium magnum apertum ... sis nobis in quo et da reditum est_."

"What nonsense is he speaking?" Gutt asked boredly.

"A squid...magnum test? Gupta offered.

"I'd bet more Latin." Raz remarked. Diego turned slightly to look at her.

"And you would win that bet." he replied, before lowering himself back onto all fours. He winced and let out a hiss of pain, to which Raz responded by catching him from falling and helping him lean against her. A great rumbling noise filled the air, and the wall in front of them shook immensely, and the strangest thing Raz had ever seen took place.

* * *

**Yeah, sorry I made you all wait that long and only gave you this short thing. But don't worry, I'll immediately start working on chapter 20!**


	20. Chapter 20

Inocent Tena

Raz's jaw dropped and she took a hop back, dragging Diego with her. The crack seemed to spin inwards on itself as fluidly as liquid. But she was sure the wall was made out of solid rock, so what was going on? More magic? Gasps of awe could be heard from behind as the crack became a swirling, vortex looking thing, colored black by the rock it was made out of. Eventually the black swirl disappeared, replaced by a dark tunnel that little sunlight shone into. With a nudge from Diego, Raz hopped forward, taking the lead as she supported the saber.

This tunnel was a lot shorter than the previous one, and they soon came across a wide chasm. The bottom couldn't be seen due to it being pitch black, and the other side was just far enough that Raz knew she and Jae couldn't simply jump over, despite their species' strength and natural hopping ability. "So, what do we do?" Gutt asked. Raz turned slightly to glance back at the rest of her crew mates all heavy laden with their fruit bounty. It would be difficult to transport all of it, surely. But Diego didn't seem fazed at all by their predicament. Simply...regretful.

As he had back when they faced the _Mortem timere_. That made Raz nervous; did that mean more use of his magic? Surely it would tax him even more to use enough power to get them all across. She looked down at the saber compassionately. "Diego," she said quietly, bending down so that they were eye level. "ya' don't _have_ ta' do this if it's too much for ya'." The saber sighed and shook his head.

"It's fine Raz. I'll be alright."

"Are ya' sure? We could wait anothah' day if we have ta'. Anothah' _week_ if necessary-"

"No!" Diego snapped quietly, a desperate look in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "I want to see my cubs." as he looked down into the chasm. His expression seemed to dare the dead bodies far below where they could see to rise up and challenge him. Raz sighed.

"Okay." She stood back up. "So...how are we gonna' get this done?" Diego sat himself down gently, so he was no longer leaning against Raz, and looked up at the cave ceiling.

"Above our heads are tons of boulders, all held tightly together by the proximity of the walls." Everyone looked up as well, suddenly looking uneasy. "It's a simple task of defying gravity, although I might have a little trouble from being slightly dizzy still." Moans of fear were head from behind.

"Maybe you should just rest for anothah' minute?" Raz offered. Diego shook his head and lifted his paws.

"No, I'm fine." stated matter-of-factly. The ceiling began to rumble and quake, frightening those below. Jae quickly hopped over and wrapped his arms protectively around Raz, both staring uncertainly at the ceiling. Raz felt another jerk from within her pouch, and placed a hand over Mira.

"You're going to bury us all, saber!" Gutt shouted. Raz gave him a heated glare.

"He will if ya' make him lose his concentration!" she snapped back. It wasn't long before a large boulder detached itself from the ceiling and lowered slowly to the ground. Raz turned so that she was holding onto Jae as well, suddenly nervous. Once reaching a certain distance from the travelers below, it began moving towards the chasm, soon gently settling itself inside. The top of it reached up to their side of the chasm, like a stepping stone. Diego let his paws drop to the ground, panting.

"See? What did I tell ya'? I'm fine." he said between pants. After another few minutes had passed, there was a line of boulders leading across the chasm to the other side. "Raz, you and Jae first." Diego instructed, inclining his head towards the boulder bridge. Tentatively, Raz took the first hop, landing on the first boulder. She was shocked when it lowered slightly under her weight and gave a gasp, thinking she was about to fall. It raised back up after a moment to her relief.

"What on earth?" she asked, leaning over the edge slightly.

"What, you thought those boulders would actually touch the bottom?" Diego asked.

"B-but, how are they staying up?" Jae asked incredulously. Diego smirked.

"Magic." he replied. Gulping, Raz took another hop forward, landing on the next boulder. She stood rigid for a moment as it steadied itself, and then hopped onto the third one. After making it across about eighteen boulders overall, she hopped forward onto solid ground. She turned back with a smile, thankful she hadn't tripped. "Alright Jae, you next." The jack took a deep breath to steady himself, then hopped across just as Raz had.

Squint was next, then Gupta, next Boris, and then Silas flew overhead. Diego turned to Gutt, who surprisingly gestured for the saber to go before him. With a nod, Diego slowly limped across the boulder path, pausing to catch his breath on the second boulder. At that point Gutt began walking across behind him, a glint of vicious intent in his eyes that terrified Raz. She instantly realized what he was doing. She opened her mouth to warn the saber, but Gutt's added and unexpected weight caused the entire bridge to lurch. Diego raised his paws and tried to steady it, but the movement made it difficult for him to concentrate, and the effort seemed hopeless.

"Come on, RUN!" Jae shouted. Taking his advice Diego abandoned the idea of controlling the bridge. Gutt did the same, one of the bananas he was carrying accidentally slipping from his grasp and bouncing into the cavern below. Raz went cold as a wailing arose from the chasm, piercing the air with horrible shrieks. Diego froze, the boulders still shaking dangerously.

"No." he whispered. White figures shot up from the dark depths with hisses and shrieks, diving at those on solid ground. Raz nearly let out her own shriek as a saber's face, white and translucent, rushed at her own. She leaned her head back as though dodging a punch in a boxing match, watching with terror as the white _thing_ shot past her face. She righted herself and looked around; everyone was being attacked by these...saber ghosts. It was a strange and frightening sight really; live sabers were scary enough, being dive-bombed by white, filmy looking versions of them was just plain creepy. Every part of them was white, they had no color.

Jae suddenly leapt in front of her and jabbed at another oncoming one, causing it to screech and veer away, hissing angrily. Raz's eyes widened. Ghosts of deadly predators that could _touch_ you? She shivered and leaned against Jae. "Okay...well, I'm officially freaked out." she stated as the rest of the crew ran in circles, shrieking their heads off. Squint suddenly sprinted over and jumped up, latching onto her with his arms around her neck and his hind feet pressed against her chest.

"I'm ready to go home." he whimpered in terror.

"Believe me, I think we all are." Jae replied, looking around the trio. He suddenly pointed farther up the tunnel. "There! They won't go past that spot, we can get out!" He grabbed Raz's hand and began hopping towards safety.

Turning back, the jill called, "Come on guys, this way!" That was when she noticed Diego's predicament. However before she could act, a loud screech caused her head to jerk back around. One of the Druid ghosts had planted itself in front of Jae, who shielded Raz protectively. It let out a harsh scream, before pouncing at him. The jack pushed Raz back a few feet before leaning back on his tail and kicking out at the monster. It fell back with a hurt screech, hitting the ground.

"Jae, I've gotta' help Diego!" Raz said, before turning and hopping back towards the chasm. Along the way she caught a hold of her crewmates and tossed them in Jae's direction, muttering something about it being the way out. Soon she was able to reach the edge, where Diego was clinging to it with all of his waxing strength. She bent down and gripped his paws, hopping back and pulling him up. "I got ya', tigah'!" However, there was suddenly a jerk in the opposite direction, nearly pulling Raz off her feet. Some of the ghosts were attacking her now, seeing as she was stationary.

Raz heard a growl and looked over the edge to see Gutt gripping both of Diego's back legs, teeth bared in a snarl. "If I go down, the saber goes with me!" he snarled. Raz glared back and hauled as much as she could of Diego onto solid ground, before slashing one of her hind claws in Gutt's left arm. The ape roared and let go, using his other hand to cover the wound. The kangaroo stood still in shock for a moment, watching as the ape disappeared into the blackness. Once he disappeared she regained herself and as gently as possible slung Diego over her shoulder. She then turned and hopped as fast as she dared towards Jae, just as the ceiling began to rumble.

But she knew it wasn't by any means of Diego. The saber ghosts began returning to the chasm as the ceiling began to collapse, making the situation both a help and a hindrance.

* * *

**I didn't want this chapter to be too long, so here you guys go! Thank you to MBSAVfan1 for reviewing all of the chapters so far, and also to J. Caesar for reviewing the previous one! I'm glad you think it's nice. ;) Chapter 21 will be up soon! :D**


	21. Chapter 21

Inocent Tena

"Raz, come on!" Jae called as rocks of every size began raining from the ceiling. Raz hopped as fast as she could with the added weight of Squint and Diego. Jae leaned forward as far as he dared past the safe point, holding one hand out to her. Time slowed as an enormous boulder began to fall over Raz's head, just as she reached out to Jae. His hand grabbed her wrist, and jerked her through the small opening that lead out of the cavern, narrowly missing getting the three crushed. Raz collapsed on top of Jae, squishing Squint in between them as time returned to normal. She looked back at the small opening in the wall, now covered by rocks.

She panted for a moment, before sitting up and rolling off Jae, then gently peeling Squint off herself. Noticing he was still twitching, she shoved the rabbit into her mate's hands before gently removing Diego from her shoulder and laying him on the ground. His eyes were closed, but he was still breathing. She stroked his shoulder, morosely eyeing what she could see of the scar running down his underside. "We're gonna' get you home tigah'." she whispered. Diego murmured and shifted his head, eyes blinking blearily.

"Wha-" Raz placed a gentle hand on his head.

"Shhh, go back ta' sleep. We made it ta' safety. We'll be home soon." Diego smiled and slipped into unconsciousness. Raz smiled and patted his head fondly. She then gently picked him up and slung him over her shoulder once more. With a nod from herself, the band of questers continued onward through an upwards sloping tunnel.

It wasn't long before they burst into open sunlight, running joyously out of a cave opening. Raz smiled as she at last hopped into open sunlight, relishing its warmth on her fur. Jae sighed contentedly beside her, taking her hand in his. "Mira is safe now." he whispered. Raz nodded.

"No Gutt, no ghosts, and no more cursed treasure. Save for what those lot brought with 'em."

"Well, people could still get in there-"

"Only if they know tha' song. And even then they'd have ta' know someone like Diego." Jae nodded.

"True."

"Besides...I have one more mission bah'fore we go back home." The jack glanced at her quizzically.

* * *

Raz stared up at the giant stone pillars, eyes narrowed in determination, her lips set in a grim line. The past few days of her torture had started here. And here they would end. She leaned back on her tail and pressed her hind feet against the first pillar, before taking a deep breath and pushing with all her might. Images flashed through her mind of what she was cutting off from the rest of the world. What she was sealing where they belonged to never be disturbed by anyone ever again. The pillar began to creak and groan as it slowly tilted away from the jill towards the ground.

_"Hey!" Jae whispered nasally, before gripping Raz's hand and wrenching it off. Before she could make another move however, Jae tilted her chin upwards, and gently pressed his lips to hers. Raz stilled, a calm reverberating through her. She brought one hand up to the back of Jae's head, feeling serene...and loved...and happy._

Raz groaned as she pushed even harder on the pillar, causing it to lean over even more.

_He gritted his teeth and drew all four claws in a circle on the right side of the pillar, sparks flying as the first circle was made. Once it was finished, he did the same thing up a little higher in the center of the pillar, making a second circle that overlapped part of the first one. Then he drew a third circle on the left side of the pillar, below the one in the middle but at the same level as the one on the right. They all overlapped in the center of the pillar, forming an oval like shape, each circle made of four lines. They claw lines suddenly glowed a light blue, and Diego stepped a good yard back from it._

The pillar finally slammed into the ground and Raz gave a loud yell, watching it break upon impact and crumble.

_His brushing paw revealed a large disk embedded in the wall, covered with tons of small, linking parts. At the center was a paw print, dotted with tiny holes. Diego placed his paw into it, then winced, before pulling it back out. The holes were filled with red liquid now. The red disappeared as the sound of draining was heard, and then the paw print seemed to turn upside down and sink into the disk. Diego shook his paw for a moment, as though relieving it of a small sting, then gave a few different tiny parts within the circumference of the disk began to move, until a section of the wall to the right of it swung out to the right like a door._

Within a few moments a second pillar was sent crashing to the ground, Raz panting from the effort to knock it over and the anger welling inside her at all Gutt had forced her to endure.

_The tip up through the middle of the shaft of the spear sunk itself into the Mortem timere's right eye, causing it to stop short and rear up on its hind legs with a pained screech. _

_ She gasped as it lunged for her, left eye blazing angrily like flames consuming a forest, maw gaping wide to snap around her. The monstrously sized teeth snapped through the air just in front of her with tremendous volume; humongous white fangs interlocking with each other and gleaming dangerously. _

_ The four chains suddenly lifted themselves into the air, slowly, tentatively, their loose ends pointing at the Mortem timere and hovering, like snakes waiting to strike. Then, moving as one, they all shot forward and wrapped around the Mortem timere's throat, going round and round, tightening savagely. The creature let out another roar and thrashed about, standing on its hind legs and grabbing at the chains. Once satisfied, the chains convened in front of its windpipe and tied themselves into a knot, insuring the beast would escape anytime soon. The Mortem timere screeched with ice-shattering volume, hopping slightly back and continuing to pull at its bonds in vain._

Pillars five and six crumbled almost to dust as the hit the ground, propelled by the force exerted by Raz. The thought of how many times she could have lost her daughter...how Diego could have died so easily...

_It appeared to be the only hole, so she carefully opened the bag and tipped it downwards, allowing the thick red liquid to spill into the it. _

_ A long, wide, dark crimson scab ran from just under Diego's chin all the way to just below his stomach. It appeared to have only recently hardened, and she then noticed how pale Diego's face was._

_ She turned again to see Diego laying in a weak, crumpled heap on the floor, obviously having been the thing that smacked the wall a moment ago, his bruises full flare in purple, black and blue, not moving. As one, it seemed, Raz, Jae, and Squint made their way to him and crowded around the saber. She gently cradled his head, afraid what the extent of the damage was._

_ "You, killed him!" she shouted._

Seven pillars now lay in the dirt, so easily destroyed after no doubt many hours and day of work carving them and setting them up properly. But such an entrance needed to not exist to such a place below...

_Gasps of awe could be heard from behind as the crack became a swirling, vortex looking thing, colored black by the rock it was made out of. Eventually the black swirl disappeared, replaced by a dark tunnel that little sunlight shone into._

_ Tentatively, Raz took the first hop, landing on the first boulder. She was shocked when it lowered slightly under her weight and gave a gasp, thinking she was about to fall._

_ White figures shot up from the dark depths with hisses and shrieks, diving at those on solid ground. Raz nearly let out her own shriek as a saber's face, white and translucent, rushed at her own. _

_ She bent down and gripped his paws, hopping back and pulling him up. "I got ya', tigah'!"_

_ Raz glared back and hauled as much as she could of Diego onto solid ground, before slashing one of her hind claws in Gutt's left arm. The ape roared and let go, using his other hand to cover the wound. The kangaroo stood still in shock for a moment, watching as the ape disappeared into the blackness. _

_ She then turned and hopped as fast as she dared towards Jae, just as the ceiling began to rumble. _

_ Jae leaned forward as far as he dared past the safe point, holding one hand out to her._

The last pillar crashed to the ground, Raz coming back down from her tail and observing the scene. Now no one could ever get into the Druids' lair again; no one could get their hands on that fruit, and the _Mortem timere_ was locked away forever, just in case it had survived. She looked up at the sky, appreciating the blueness of it that she had been deprived of for so long. She shook her head at the thought of anyone wanting to spend their time conducting crazy experiments underground. Such thoughts led to Diego, who was currently laying safely in a cave back at their campsite under Jae and Squint's supervision. She placed a hand on her pouch, thinking once again of Mira. Now she was safe.

Now Raz could go home and see her mother again. Her siblings, the rest of the herd, and Jae could meet them too. She smiled at the thought; Shira would be overjoyed to see her and Diego again. And Diego would be glad to be back home. With a satisfied sigh, she turned her back on Stonehenge for the last time, and began hopping back to her crew, her mate, and her father.

* * *

**So here we are; Stonehenge gone so that both entrances to the Druids' lair are destroyed, Diego is unconscious but safe in Jae and Squint's care, and now all that is left is to sail home! Everyone who reads, please review! Thank you's for reviewing the last chapter:**

**MBSAVfan1**

**96DarkAngel**


	22. Chapter 22

Inocent Tena

Raz lay on the cave floor, eyes trained on Diego should the battered saber awaken and be in need of something. Fresh bandages, a drink, a snack. Or perhaps memories of home. Sometimes he would simply ask of Raz to retell to him about their home island. About their family, about what had been happening when they left. Of course her accounts weren't as accurate as what his could have been, since she had left a whole month earlier. It saddened her; to see a desperate father and mate, asking his adoptive daughter about what his life used to be before the complications of cursed bounty, monsters, and magic.

As if he couldn't remember who he was. She would quietly tell him about the cubs, about Shira, about his two best friends. He would stare off into the distance as she spoke, as if trying to conjure up the memories from her words. But while her eyes were attentive, her own mind wandered through the many things she could remember.

* * *

_ Raz lay on the icy deck, curled in her adoptive mother's paws, staring up at the stars. "Mamma?" she asked quietly. Shira's blue orbs opened and stared a her inquisitively. _

_ "What is it Raz?" she asked softly. It had only been a few months after the young joey had joined their crew, so she was a considerable bit bigger. _

_ "Where did ya' get me?" Shira smiled softly._

_ "Well...Gutt landed on a very isolated continent a few months ago." she replied. "And I found this little kangaroo girl all alone, in a bush. So I asked where her family was, and she said that they were gone. And so I asked Gutt if we could take her along on our ship and make her a little pirate just like the rest of us." Raz giggled as Shira gently tapped her nose. _

_ "Do all moms find their kids alone somewhere?" she inquired. Shira chuckled._

_ "No. Usually they have them at home."_

_ "How?" _

_Well...there are different ways. Sabers usually carry their cubs in their tummy until they're ready to be born." the saber replied, patting her own stomach._

_ "Do kangaroos do that too?"_

_ "Sort of. Kangaroo joeys are born much earlier than saber cubs. And they spend a lot of time in the mom's pouch." Shira explained, tapping Raz's pouch gently. The jill smiled up at her. _

_ "Cool!"_

* * *

__Raz smiled; Shira had been a good mother for a pirate. She reared Raz as a deadly fighter, but made sure she was a little girl for a little while.

* * *

_It was one of their stops to restock supplies on land. Shira had finished her duties quickly and taken Raz a little further inland. The young joey hopped through the grass merrily, before letting loose a loud giggle and flopping over on her stomach in the soft grass. "Mum? Can we stay here forevah'?" Shira chuckled._

_ "No Raz. But we'll be back. And we'll stop at many other places like this." The joey sat up._

_ "I want somethin' ta' remembah' this place by." she said determinedly, looking around inquisitively. She suddenly spotted something shining a few feet away in the grass, and eagerly hopped over. Picking up the object and wiping the dirt away, she discovered it to be a piece of colorful quartz. Fascinated by the stone, she smiled and hugged it to her chest. _

_ "What did you find?" Shira asked, trotting over. Raz turned and showed the saber her treasure._

_ " Ain't it pretteh' mum?" she asked. Shira nodded._

_ "Very. She turned back the way they had come for a moment, ears twitching. Then she turned back to Raz and grabbed the joey by her scruff, carrying her back to the ship. Raz dropped the quartz securely in her pouch, smiling gleefully and eager to tell the rest of her crew mates about in once on board._

* * *

Raz remembered how fond she had been of the stone. And how much it had broken her little heart when she lost it not too long after discovering it. Thankfully, something else bigger shadowed her sorrows.

* * *

_ The jill moped at the edge of the ship, staring sadly down into the water. Losing her land treasure had crushed her, and she desperately wished Gutt would land for supplies again. Her mother lay next to her and gently licked the joey's cheek. "Hey Raz."_

_ "Hey mum." she replied quietly, not turning to look at the saber. _

_ "I know you're sad about the quartz, sheila." Shira continued. Raz nodded as a tear dribbled down her nose. "But, Gutt says that it's about time you chose a way to participate in the more piraty activities on the ship." The jill looked over at her mother in surprise. "He told me to come get you so you could choose what weapon you want to learn to use first." Raz's eyes lit up with excitement as she felt her heart beat increase tenfold._

_ "Ya' mean it?" she squealed. Shira smiled and nodded. Raz jumped to her feet and urged her mother up as well. Shira chuckled and led her over to the ship's weaponry, letting the jill dig around for a few moments. She soon proudly held up a small dagger, similar to Squint's. "This one." she said firmly. Squint became her first teacher as they had the same weapon._

* * *

Raz smiled as all of her weapons training ran through her mind. In a surprisingly short amount of time, she had mastered every weapon on the ship, and had been given the duty of carrying them around for herself and the rest of the crew in her pouch once she became a teenager. Out of them all, her spiral shell spear had become her favorite. Her spirits dampened for a moment upon remembering that she had sacrificed her beloved, deadly companion while fighting the _Mortem timere_. But she shook the thought off; she would find a new favorite. Diego gave a moan and shifted, taking Raz's full concentration for the moment. She arose and hopped over to him, feeling his forehead gently.

She did this every time she came to his aid; she was afraid that sooner or later a fever would develop from the wound down his underside. But just like every other time, he was cool. His green orbs, now faded in color from his physical condition, cracked open and looked up tiredly at her. "What's up tigah'?"

"C-could you get me a little more water?" Raz nodded.

"Sure." She hopped out of the cave and made her way to the stream nearby, picking up a hollowed rock as she exited the cave. Once reaching the bank, she gently dipped the bowl into the stream, then pulled it back out and began hopping back. She soon returned and tipped the water into her adoptive father's mouth. After securing his position and seeing him back to sleep, the kangaroo lay back down herself and drifted into the land of dreams, one hand over her daughter.

* * *

**Yeah, this was probably a really short one. Just a montage of memories since I didn't get many of them in the story. Next chapter it continues! Thanks for reviews go to:**

MBSAVfan1

96DarkAngel


	23. Chapter 23

Inocent Tena

Dennis awoke with a wide yawn, before sitting up slowly and glancing around at his family. He and his three siblings were just shy of a year old now, and it had been a good long while since they had seen their father. Their mother, Shira, claimed that he must have had an accident of some sort. She had faith he would never leave them on purpose. But Dennis was beginning to wonder; what had happened? Why was his father not there every morning like he faintly remembered from his younger days? Why couldn't he remember the adult's name?

He sighed before heaving himself into a standing position and making his way to his mother. He bent down and gently licked her cheek, then turned to check up on his brother and sisters once more. As the oldest he saw it as his duty to take care of the younger sabers, especially with no father around. After taking a cautious circuit of his herd's home area, feeling the slight need to look after them too, he started off towards his favorite thoughtful spot. Dennis finally arrived at a rocky cliff that jutted out over the ocean. Whenever he stood atop it, looking out at the blue horizon as the waves crashed below him, he felt powerful. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere?

Maybe it was because this was where his father would take him for play? The older saber spent much time here as well. For one reason or another, Dennis was always put into a good mood when he came to this exact spot. The wind ruffled his fur and sun shone brightly, causing him to smile. He suddenly became aware of a shuffling noise, and whipped around to find an adult saber standing a few feet behind him. The male smiled softly at him, his faded green eyes staring into Dennis's blue ones. He noted with curiosity that the stranger had the same fur as himself.

"Who are you?" he demanded, trying to seem unfazed. The older saber only drew nearer, his stride weak and shuffle like, but proud.

"Hello Dennis." he whispered. The adolescent's eyes widened, and he took a step back.

"How do you know my name?"

"Sh, it's alright. You just don't remember." Dennis's ears perked. Why did that voice, that hushing, sound so familiar?

"Don't remember?" The adult approached him, stopping to sit in front of the smaller saber. Dennis almost gasped upon looking up at the long scar traveling down the adult's white underside.

"A lot happened. And a lot has changed." He reached out a paw to hold Dennis's face. The younger saber was surprised that he instinctively didn't flinch at the stranger's (or not?) touch. "But I never stopped thinking about you and your siblings. Or your mother. I did everything to get back home." The cub blinked in shock, and the adult smiled. Dennis swallowed.

"...Dad?" he whispered. The adult gently pulled him close into an embrace, holding Dennis's head against his chest. The child found the action somewhat familiar, listening to a heartbeat he realized had been engraved into his memory. All was silent for a while as Dennis pondered whether or not what he was experiencing was a dream. He had had countless ones of this moment; the possible day his father returned. He would always say something like, 'I'm home, son.' Or perhaps, 'I missed you so much.'

But Dennis had never heard a heartbeat, or embraced the figment that was his father in any of his dreams. So the question was; was this a new variant of his dream? Or...was it real? He suddenly heard a soft, gentle voice in his free ear, "I love you. A lot. You didn't forget that did you?" Dennis felt tears begin to form, closing his eyes.

"No." he squeaked. "I never did forget." As he slowly, quietly, began to sob, he felt his long lost father stroke his back gently.

"Sh...it's alright Dennis. I would never leave you."

"I know." Dennis choked. "I just...it's been so long."

"Yeah. It has. But it's all over now. " He found his father's choice of words a bit strange, but brushed it aside. He pressed desperately against the adult, afraid if he pulled away his father would disappear again. "Everything's gonna' be better from now on. I promise." Dennis looked up at his father's face, tears still glistening in his eyes.

"Dad, please...please come home with me." he whimpered. His father smiled and gently stroked his cheek. Of course." he whispered, then gently licked the boy's forehead. Dennis smiled, standing and wagging his short tail happily. His father nudged him gently up in front, and the cub took the lead, on his way back home with the greatest surprise in the world. Or so he thought.

* * *

Shira awoke to find three of her cubs sleeping safely in a pile beside her. At first her heart skipped a beat, but she calmed herself. Dennis had obviously gone out to his father's precipice. It was where he spent most of his time, just like Diego. Shira forced back a sob at the thought of her missing mate. She knew Diego would never leave her or the cubs willingly, so he had to have been forced to leave. But by whom?

Shira sighed; she had pondered this everyday. This and many other things, including: what happened to Raz? Where had she gone? Had she survived the storm? And why was everything important to her being slowly ripped away? After sniffing over her cubs, she cautiously exited the den and made her way to the hunting grounds. Breakfast always made her feel better.

It made the entire herd feel better. She, Manny and Sid had suffered the worst after Diego went missing. Shira had never thought Sid capable of being so unhappy, and Manny was your worst nightmare. All of their worlds were slowly melting away. However, in her deep ponderings, she was unaware of the approaching hopsteps. It was too late when she finally noticed a large body pinning her to the ground on her back. "Let go of me!" she snarled, eyes unfocused on her attacker.

"Nevah' thought I'd be able ta' do that!" Shira froze; that pitch, that accent. She squinted at the familiar outline, her vision still a bit hazy in the early morning sunlight. "Come on now, mum." the voice encouraged. "Don'tcha' remembah' yer' own daughtah'?" The female saber's blood ran cold in disbelief as her eyes finally adjusted. The kangaroo before her almost seemed surreal.

But...she was pinning her to the ground. Shira swallowed. "R-raz?"

"In tha' flesh!" the jill stated proudly. Shira smiled and laughed as she was allowed to stand. Bending low, Raz allowed her and Shira to embrace, the female saber hugging her tightly and letting a small tear dribble down her cheek.

"Oh Raz! I...I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Eh, I was a little iffy the entiah' time, but I pulled through." Shira laughed and pulled back, studying her daughter's face. She gently gripped it with her paws.

"You're different." she stated critically, smiling mischievously.

"Very." Raz hinted with a giggle.

"Alright," Shira sighed, glancing around. "where is he? You'd have better brought him home." Raz stood properly with a chuckle.

"Well of course! What, ya' think I'd just leave 'im back in Australia?" The two females shared a laugh, before Raz gave shrill whistle. "Oi Jae, get out here! Mah' mum fancies seein' ya'!" Shira peered past the jill to see a red jack nervously hop out from behind a large boulder. He approached the two slowly, coming to stop beside Raz and taking her hand in his.

"Mum, I'd like ya' ta' meet Jae."

Shira gave a nod. "Pleased to meet the one jack who can keep up with her." Jae chuckled.

"Ah well, she's worth all the trouble she causes." he replied with a grin. Raz gave him a gentle punch, causing Shira to laugh.

"I see you two get along well."

"Yeah, pretty much." Shira frowned thoughtfully.

"So...have either of you seen Diego?" she asked. Raz and Jae glanced at each other.

"Not for a while." Raz replied. Shira blinked confusedly.

"What does that mean?" Raz smiled and waved the question off.

"Don't worreh' about it." she replied. "Come on, let's go intra'duce Jae ta' tha' herd." Shira smiled softly and nodded, turning and leading the way back to the herd's campsite. Upon arrival, she was surprised and confused to find everyone in an uproar.

Shoving her way to the center of their attention, she demanded, "What's going on he-" She was cut short by the sight of all four of her cubs clamoring for attention around another saber. An adult, male, with an orange overpelt and white underpelt, and green eyes. Faded, tired green eyes that had seen vibrancy once, that were too early going pale, but salvageable. Eyes so familiar yet changed, eyes that looked upon her with remembrance, and appreciation. All noise was ceased as she stared back. The face was weary but loving, determined even, although the determination was slowly fading as if due to task completion.

Something unfamiliar stared back at her; a long, crimson scar, running through the other saber's white fur. But Shira didn't care. She didn't care if it never went away, if the eyes were never vibrant again, as long as they showed life. A sob hitched in her throat as tears began to leak from her eyes. "Glad to see me Kitty?" She could have screamed for joy, not even feeling a twinge of anger at the once hated nickname. He could call her that forever if he wanted to.

He had just enough time to gently bat their cubs off before she lunged, wrapping her forelegs tightly around him, never intending to let go. She let her sobs through at last, only because the tears landed on his chest. No other place would do. The cubs returned to hug both their parents, the entire herd crowding around the happy family. Shira could do nothing but cry, sob, gasp for breath, and cry some more. "And here I thought the best thing I'd see today was Raz." she half sobbed half giggled. At that point everyone's attention seemed to swing over to the kangaroo pair, noticing them for the first time.

"Raz!" the cubs all cheered as one, breaking away from their reunited parents to have their own reunion with their long lost sister. Raz chuckled and bent down to embrace them all at once. Jae stood beside her and smiled at the happy siblings. Dennis was the first to look up at him.

"Hey Raz, who's this guy?" he asked curiously. He and his siblings crowded eagerly around the jack, poking and prodding him.

"Why don't ya' have a pouch like Raz?" Rebel asked. Jae looked between the young sabers uneasily.

"Uh..." Raz chuckled and stepped in.

"Guys, this is mah' mate, Jae. He's basically a new brothah' for ya'."

"Cool!" Akuna replied.

"And I have anothah' surprise for all of ya'." she added. The rest of the herd crowded around them, Shira and Diego being the second closest only to the cubs. "Now don't get too close, ya' might scare her."

"Her?" Shira asked. Raz didn't reply, but rather turned her focus to her pouch, which Shira then realized wasn't in the least bit flat.

"Mira." she called gently. Tentatively, to everyone's shock, a small kangaroo's head peeked out of Raz's pouch. It had Raz's violet fur, but Jae's blue eyes, long ears draped over the back of their head like Raz's. The herd gasped in awe at the little joey, Shira in particular unable to believe her eyes. Her daughter...was a mother? "Say allo' ta' yer' family sheila." Mira's eyes traveled over the assorted group for a moment.

"Allo'." she finally said in a small voice.

* * *

**Awesomeness right? I think so. YES! Finally, I have achieved my goal! Before this chapter was posted, 'Inocent Tena' had a total of 42 reviews! That's the most reviews I've ever had, plus that means I've finally broken the record set down by my 'Ice Age Pirates' story, which I just checked has 38 reviews!**

Eeek! I'm so excited! Plz review chapter 23 as well, this story is on a review roll! Oh, and uh, it's not over yet! ;D Thanks go to:

MBSAVfan1 - I'm glad you liked all the little memories! I thought you would. ;) Ah yes we will find out the pirates' reaction soon enough, sadly it's not in this chapter. But I have a rough plan. ;)

mwang - Here's the update you wanted so badly. ;)

lily - I'm glad you've finally caught up! I know reading that many chapters takes a lot of effort, and I appreciate that you put a review on every one of them!


	24. Chapter 24

Inocent Tena

Raz smiled as the herd surrounded her and Jae, cooing at Mira excitedly. When the joey had had enough of the strangers, she sequestered herself back inside the pouch. The rest of the day was spent in celebration of Raz and Diego's return, as well as the new additions of Jae and Mira. Ellie and Shira especially spent most of their time talking with Raz and getting a few glimpses of Mira when she poked her head out every now and again. Jae became acquainted with Shira first, knowing it was only polite, before tentatively socializing mostly with the males of the herd. Diego and Manny he got along best with, and the cubs adored him. Crash and Eddie showed their enthusiasm for the new target - er, herd member - in true possum fashion.

The poor Jack couldn't turn a corner with being pelted with something. Nonetheless, both day and night were filled with celebration, complete with food, games, song, and utter foolishness with nary a care. Unless of course it made Diego's condition even worse or was a danger to Raz and Mira. Such festivities lasted for a full week, as that was about how long it took for everyone to become used to the new presences and the joy to wear off. Jae became comfortable almost immediately, and everyone waited anxiously for Mira's first time out of the pouch as well as contributing a new word for her to learn. On the last evening of unbridled partying, as the stars began to appear in the navy blue sky to accompany the pale, round moon, Raz pulled herself away from the gathering to sit on a ledge overlooking the ocean. Sensing they were alone, Mira poked her head out to gaze at the stars with her mother.

The mother jill took one hand and stroked her head gently, smiling with tender love. "Ah, yer' gonna' be a beaut', Mira." she said with a sigh. The joey looked up at her mother and gave a coo. Raz's ear twitched as it picked up the sound of her mother approaching. She smiled as the female saber lay beside her, the jill kicking her dangling legs back and forth. Mira shrunk at the sight of her grandmother, but peered at her curiously. Shira smiled and gently sniffed the joey's face over, before giving her a tender lick.

Mira then smiled and batted a paw at her, causing Shira to chuckle softly. "Well, here's grandchild numbah' one." Raz said. Shira laughed.

"Raz you make me feel _old_!" she teased. They both shared a laugh as Mira watched them inquisitively. All was silent for a while. "You know, they're planning to end this whole thing with a bang."

"What sort of bang?"

"You, Jae, and Diego are supposed to relate the tale of your adventure." Raz blinked, frowning slightly at the ground. "You don't want to?"

"Well...you all should know, it's just...not tha' prettiest of bedtime stories." Shira nodded, and the two sat in silence.

"Maybe I can help you." The kangaroo turned upon hearing the offer. "How about you tell me about when Mira took her first peek?" Raz smiled.

"Well," she began, looking out over the waves. "it was of course, on tha' ship..."

* * *

_ Raz was standing on the edge of the deck, leaning on the raised platform of ice where the crew's bounty resided. She had avoided everyone except Squint, Jae, and Diego ever since they reboarded the ice ship, knowing that it wouldn't be too much longer before she began to show. They were now scheduled to arrive back on the herd's island within the week, which lifted her spirits. She felt Mira squirm slightly; the joey did so often, so Raz thought nothing of it. As if out of instinct, she relaxed the muscles lining her pouch's opening. At first she figured it was just reflex to the joey becoming too large. But then...that didn't make any sense at all; joeys stayed in their mother's pouch for a good long while. _

_ That was when she felt the tiny face pushing itself through the opening to peep out. First checking to make sure none of the crew were watching, Raz ever so slowly glanced down. To her shock (and joy) Mira had finally taken her first glimpse of the outside world. She grinned like Gutt had when first laying eyes on the Druid's bounty, glad to finally see that the joey had progressed this far. Biting her lip and glancing over her shoulder cautiously, she slowly reached down and stroked one of her daughter's long ears. The joey shuddered, before looking up at her. "'Allo' sheila." she whispered._

_ Mira blinked at her, before turning her gaze to the ocean. Eyes trained on the child, Raz began whispering loudly and waving one hand wildly out to the side. "Jae...Jae! Get yer' bum ovah' here!" she demanded quietly. The jack hurried over, only to be grabbed by Raz and told to be quiet and slow. He slowly peeked around her front to see Mira once again looking up at her mother, curious about the words she was speaking. His jaw dropped slightly, then he slowly smiled._

_ "Oh...Mira." he whispered in awe. She was a beautiful little girl, with her father's eyes and her mother's fur. "She can't talk yet, can she?" Raz shook her head._

_ "Naw. Normally not at this time anyway. Soon though; she's been listenin' ta' me at least for a good long time now. It won't take her long ta' pick up on simple things." The two kangaroos jumped as a throat cleared behind them, the combination of sound and movement sending Mira back into hiding. Raz tightened the muscles once more protectively. _

_ "Raz?" Gupta's voice inquired. The jack and jill turned halfway to see the said badger, Silas, and Dobson all standing before them looking solemn and apologetic._

_ "Yeah Gupta?" The badger glanced to the side for a moment. Raz followed his gaze to see Diego watching the procession with a stern gaze. _

_ "The three of us are truly sorry that...we put you through everything that happened those three months ago."_

_ "We are here to _demander pardon_ from _vous_.*" Silas continued. Dobson nodded silently, not known for being one to talk aside from shanties. Raz smiled. _

_ " Of course I hold no grudges against ya'." she replied. The trio smiled happily at her. "In fact, I think yer' all ready to know mine and Jae's secret." The three gave her a confused stare, while Diego smiled knowingly. _

_ "Oooh, what kind of secret?" Flynn asked excitedly. Raz smirked and gently rubbed her pouch, gently relaxing the muscles._

_ "Mira." she said gently. Tentatively, the joey poked her head out once more. Raz gently laid a hand on her daughter's head, stroking it fondly. The entirety of the crew, minus Squint, stared in awe with gaping jaws at the baby._

_ "Raz...you are a..._mere_?*" Silas asked incredulously. The jill chuckled._

_ "Have been evah' since we started." she replied confidently. Silence reigned over the ship for a moment, before Flynn burst into a fit of happy giggles and clapping his flippers together._

_ "Goodie! A baby!" he exclaimed. And with that, the tension was broken. Squint was the first to approach, smirking and patting the joey's head fondly._

_ "Yeah, you were such a tiny little thing. Now look at ya'!" he said. Mia blinked in surprise, before smiling and letting out a small giggle at the squint-eyed rabbit. Gupta then promptly shoved him aside, smiling at the joey. _

_ "Ya' look so much like yer' mother! Bet you're gonna' be as much trouble as her too!" Raz laughed. The badger was then accidentally squished by Flynn, who bent down and smiled enthusiastically at the child._

_ "Aw, look at those little eyes, you look like Jae!" he gushed. Mira cocked her head as she gazed at the seal._

_ "_She must think this a crazy world to look at._" Raz thought, considering the diversity of creatures before her daughter. Dobson then shoved himself in front of Flynn, smiling at Mira. He gently nudged her with his snout, causing her to laugh._

_ "Hello little one." he practically whispered. Despite the volume level, everyone was able to hear the boars words, and froze in surprise. _

_ "Dude...did Boris just say something?" Squint questioned in disbelief. The boar in question shrugged, then returned to smiling at Mira. Silas landed on his snout to address the joey._

_ "Ah, such a beautiful little mademoiselle." he cooed, gently patting her head with a wing. Mira giggled at the feathery feeling. _

_ "Alright enough of you all. My turn." Diego strode forward proudly (albeit weakly as well), the boar gently moving aside. Diego sat in front of Raz, face to face with Mira. Her eyes widened upon seeing his teeth, but she didn't back down. The saber gently stroked her face with one paw, smiling gently. "You have no idea how old you make me feel." _

_ Mira laughed at his words, reaching out a hand and placing it on his large nose. Diego's eyes shone with appreciation, but he hid it behind half lids. Raz could tell that her daughter would favor her grandpa.___

* * *

Shira chuckled. "Sounds like they were pretty happy to meet her. Diego especially."

"Yeah. I'm glad they were. They all would have fought for her if Gutt had survived."

"So...where are they now?" Raz's eyes became downcast.

"Ah well, ya' know. Pirates...gotta' stay where they belong. And...they of course belong on tha' ocean. Besides after that whole thing with tha' Druid ghosts I don't think they'll consider land tha' ideal home for quite a while." she replied, trying to feign indifference. But the memory from a week ago was still all too clear.

* * *

_Raz hopped down from the ship, landing gracefully on the sand. She smiled and dug her two toes into the ground appreciatively, glad to be back on home soil. Jae followed soon after, placing his hand on her pouch. "Raz, shouldn't you be, I don't know, a tad more careful?" The jill rolled her eyes._

_ "Relax Jae. Mira ain't fallin' out anytime soon."_

_ "I know, but ya' _seriously_ freaked me out just now! Aftah' Gutt, and all those ghosts, and tha' canyon, and tha'...Norton, time air-"_

_ "_Mortem timere_." she corrected him._

_ "Whatever. You know how close we came to losing Diego." Raz looked back at the saber in question, who was being lowered from the ship by a pulley device Squint and Gupta had concocted. Once the saber was on stable land, he shakily rose to his feet, gained his balance, and shook his pelt out. "I don't want somethin' ta' happen ta' _you_ aftah' everything." Raz smiled and planted a small kiss on Jae's cheek, momentarily stunning the jack, then made her way over to Squint, who had left the ship to help get Diego down. _

_ "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" she greeted cheerily. Squint rolled his eyes._

_ "Only you, Raz, could say that after risking your life, your baby's life, facing a monster, ghosts, and almost losing your adoptive dad." Raz shrugged._

_ "It's a gift." she replied. The two chuckled. "So," she started, leaning against the iceberg ship. Mira wiggled slightly, trying to push her head out. Raz allowed her the freedom, smiling softly at the joey for a moment. "what now?" Squint's figure slouched, eyes cast to the ground._

_ "Ah well...we pirates hafta'...do our thing." _

_ "But I was a pirate, and I can stay on tha' land."_

_ "Yeah. _Was_. I still _am_. We all still _are_." Squint shook his head sadly, and Raz frowned._

_ "But...that doesn't mean ya' can't change."_

_ "True. But...what if the time to change _isn't_ right now?"_

_ "Then I hope it's soon." Raz replied with a smile. Squint smiled back. "You'll be back soon, won't ya'?" The rabbit scoffed._

_ "You kiddin' me? I gotta' see _this_ little hairball at least a thousand times." he replied, patting Mira's head gently. "And judging by her average life span, I don't have too long." Raz chuckled._

_ "Just promise that yer' next visit won't be too far down tha' road."_

_ "I prom-"_

_ "Not me. To _Mira_." Squint blinked, then looked the joey straight in the eyes. Raz smiled in triumph at the weakness she saw revealed in his own. The rabbit gently grasped Mira's chin, giving her a determined look._

_ "Mira," he whispered. "I promise you; I'll be back soon."_

* * *

"So, they couldn't stay off the ocean could they?" Shira's question jolted Raz out of her memory.

"Yeah." she sighed.

"They're coming back soon though, right?" Raz chuckled, looking out over the glistening water.

"Oh yeah. Squint made a promise." The saber snorted.

"_Squint_ made a promise?"

"To Mira." Shira nodded.

"I see."

* * *

**So yeah, I'm cutting it off there, for now. It's still not done! So please review and tell me what you think! :D Thank you's go to:**

MBSAVfan1  
96DarkAngel  
lily  
mwang


	25. Chapter 25

Inocent Tena

Raz hopped along the beach in a relaxed fashion, her mind happening to be on her brother. Squint had promised he'd be back, and it had already been two months. The cubs were four months away from becoming adults, and Mira was due to have her first venture. And yet Raz wanted her rabbit brother to be there for such things. She smiled down at Mira for a moment as she hopped, the joey taking a moment to peek out of the pouch as her mother was in motion. Raz's eyes trailed over to the horizon lazily, however, as she gazed forward, she noticed something peculiar. A white block shape was occupying the line where the sea and sky met.

Her eyes widened as hope soared within her. She froze, peering at the white block in hope. As it came ever closer, she was able to see a tiny grey dot moving about on top of it, and a slow smile spread across her lips. More dots of different colors appeared, and she began hopping in place excitedly, waving her arms and calling out. "HEY! OVAH' HERE!" She could soon make out the shape of Squint waving back.

"raz!" he called back faintly. Raz laughed delightedly.

"THIS WAY!" she called back. The boat soon docked, Flynn throwing the anchor overboard gleefully. Squint jumped overboard and grabbed onto the seaweed chain as it sped down towards the sand. Just before the boulder made contact, he let go and landed softly on the ground before Raz with a triumphant smirk. Raz smiled back and opened her arms for a hug, not surprised when he jumped up and wrapped his arms around her neck and his hind legs around her chest. The kangaroo chuckled, wrapping her arms around him. "I missed ya' too." she whispered.

Mira giggled in delight and reached her tiny hands up towards her uncle. "Unca'!" she cooed. Raz and Squint both looked down fondly at her, before the rabbit hopped down onto a tree stump that grew along the forest line, making himself eye level with his niece. He patted her head softly, eyeing the lump in Raz's pouch from the rest of the joey being concealed.

"Ah, yer' such a cutie!" he praised. Mira giggled and gripped his hand in her own, causing both adults to smile even wider.

"Captain?" Flynn called down from the ship. "Permission to join you?" Squint smirked.

"Wait a minute ya' sissies! Can't ya' see I'm havin' quality time with my niece?" The rest of the pirates appeared beside Flynn looking annoyed.

"She is our niece too!" Gupta reasoned. Raz chuckled.

"So ya' like bein' captain?" she asked. Squint smirked.

"It has its perks." he replied. Raz bent down and placed her hands on the stump, giving the rabbit a gentle punch on the shoulder. Mira struggled to keep her uncle within her vision, but Raz had other plans. Before another word could be said, she gently relaxed the muscles in the lower half of her pouch as well as the ones lining the opening. Mira instantly plopped onto the soft sand, freezing for a moment out of shock. Squint followed suit, eyes wide at the exposed joey. Raz smiled softly down at her.

"Eh?" Mira asked in confusion, looking around and shifting herself slightly, unfamiliar with the new terrain. Raz had to give her daughter credit; most joeys would have stood back up and crawled back inside the moment they figured out how. Which of course, only took a moment to learn. Having had enough, the pirates instantly descended, wanting to not be left out of such an event. Mira wobbily stood up on her hind feet, balancing herself as the rest of her uncles emptied out of the boat. Squint gingerly hopped of the tree stump and crouched in front of her, reaching out a tentative hand and laying it on her head. The joey blinked at him, then smiled.

"You recognize Uncle Squint don't ya'?" Raz asked gently. Mira poked Squint in the stomach.

"Unca' Swim!" she declared. Raz laughed.

"Guess that's yer' new nickname, mate." The rabbit rolled his eyes and chuckled. Mira stood halfway, front paws in the sand, once again looking around.

"She's a brave little squirt." he said. "Shouldn't she have ducked back inside by now?" Raz shrugged.

"When she's ready." At that point the rest of the pirates had reached them, forming a ring around the mother and joey, cooing and taking turns to pat her head. Mira designated names for each of her uncles, her speech skills having been improved in the past two months. Gupta became 'Coota', Silas managed to retain his own name, Dobson became 'Obsom', and Flynn became 'Fwim'. Raz of course was 'Mum', and Squint was 'Swim'. Raz watched her family interacting with its newest addition with a soft smile. The joy and lightheartedness reminded her of long bygone days, days when she was much younger, and her home was very hot and dusty.

"_Innocence_." she thought. "_I feel innocent again_."

* * *

(Please enjoy the credits role, which is more song that credits. Who doesn't love that? XD and if you would like to hear the song, please visit Youtube and look up 'Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World)

_If you love somebody_  
_Better tell them while they're here 'cause_  
_They just may run away from you_

Inocent Tena

Written by KaylaDestroyer

_You'll never know what went well_  
_Then again it just depends on_  
_How long of time is left for you_

Inspired by Raz from Ice Age: Continental Drift

Cast:

_Now take it in but don't look down_

Raz - Rebel Wilson

_'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay_  
_I'm on top of the world, 'ay_

Diego - Denis Leary

_Waiting on this for a while now_  
_Paying my dues to the dirt_

Squint - Aziz Ansari

_I've been waiting to smile, 'ay_  
_Been holding it in for a while, 'ay_

Gupta - Kunal Nayyar

_Take you with me if I can_  
_Been dreaming of this since a child_

Flynn - Nick Frost

_I'm on top of the world._

Silas - Alain Chabat

_I've tried to cut these corners_  
_Try to take the easy way out_  
_I kept on falling short of something_

Captain Gutt - Peter Dinklage

_I coulda' gave up then but_  
_Then again I couldn't have 'cause_  
_I've traveled all this way for something_

Manny - Ray Romano

_Now take it in but don't look down_

Ellie - Queen Latifa

_'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay_  
_I'm on top of the world, 'ay_

Peaches - Keke Palmer

_Waiting on this for a while now_  
_Paying my dues to the dirt_

Crash - Seann William Scott

_I've been waiting to smile, 'ay_  
_Been holding it in for a while, 'ay_

Eddie - Josh Peck

_Take you with me if I can_  
_Been dreaming of this since a child_

Sid - John Leguizamo

_I'm on top of the world._

Shira - Jennifer Lopez

_'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay_  
_I'm on top of the world, 'ay_

Dennis - Kenny DeNunez

_Waiting on this for a while now_  
_Paying my dues to the dirt_

Akuna - Blake O'Leary

_I've been waiting to smile, 'ay_  
_Been holding it in for a while, 'ay_

Rebel - Jordana Beatty

_Take you with me if I can_  
_Been dreaming of this since a child_

Arilla - Morgan Baker

_And I know it's hard when you're falling down_  
_And it's a long way up when you hit the ground_  
_Get up now, get up, get up now._

Aurelio - Robert Downey Jr. 

_And I know it's hard when you're falling down_  
_And it's a long way up when you hit the ground_  
_Get up now, get up, get up now._

Jae - Chris Hemsworth

_'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay_  
_I'm on top of the world, 'ay_

Mira - Mia Talerico

_Waiting on this for a while now_  
_Paying my dues to the dirt_

Like I said, written by KaylaDestroyer. Besides voice actors, this ain't a movie. No technology people worked on this.

_I've been waiting to smile, 'ay_  
_Been holding it in for a while, 'ay_  
_Take it with me if I can_  
_Been dreaming of this since a child_  
_I'm on top of the world._

* * *

**So there we go, story finished! YAY! THIS IS MY FIRST MEGA-MULTI-CHAPTERED STORY THAT I FINISHED! Please review and tell me what you thought of the last chapter and the little credits reel. XD Special thanks to MBSAVfan1 and lily for reviewing the previous chapter, and to all who have and will review the story! I can't believe I'm done...huh. Gotta' find something else to do. ;) And yes, I could not resist Robert Downey Jr. and ESPECIALLY not Thor! How cool would it be for Raz to be married to a guy with his voice? XD See ya' guys soon! **


End file.
